Advisory Committee on Business Appointments

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list senior civil servants whose move to the private sector was vetted by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005; to which company each moved; and what conditions were attached in each case.

John Hutton: The information requested, up to 31 March 2005, is available from the annual reports of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, copies of which are in the Library.
	I understand that, since 1 April 2005, the Advisory Committee has considered the following appointments.
	
		
			 Name, former Department and date of leaving service  Appointment  Advice 
		
		
			 D. Anderson, Department for Work and Pensions, Chief Executive, Jobcentre Plus, May 2005 Chief Executive, Co-operative Financial Services Ltd. Unconditional approval 
			
			 Sir Roger Bone KCMG, FCO, HM Ambassador to Brazil, July 2004 President, Boeing UK Unconditional approval 
			
			 Ms A. Grant, FCO, High Commissioner South Africa, May 2005 Special Adviser, Standard Chartered Bank Approved subject to the condition that, for six months from her last day in post, she should not revisit South Africa for business purposes, advise on it, or have dealings with companies there 
			
			 S. Haddrill, DTI, Director General Fair Markets, April 2005 Director General, Association of British Insurers Approved subject to the condition that, for six months from his last day of service, he should not be personally involved in lobbying Government Ministers or officials 
			
			 A Laurance, Department of Health Adviser to Minister of Health, Iraq, June 2005 Team Leader, Emergency Public Administration Reform Programme, Iraq, Adam Smith International Ltd. Unconditional approval 
			
			 Sir Roderic Lyne KBE CMG, FCO, HM Ambassador to Moscow, August 2004 Adviser, ITE Group plc Unconditional approval 
			
			 J. Spencer CB, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Director General, Clients and Policy, February 2005 Consultant, Cap Gemini UK plc Unconditional approval 
			
			 Sir John Vickers, Office of Fair Trading, Chairman, September 2005 Drummond Professor of Political Economy, Oxford University Unconditional approval

Hampton Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on progress towards amalgamating 31 inspection agencies, consequent upon the recommendations of the Hampton Review; and what assessment he has made of the (a) management and (b) financial implications of these amalgamations.

John Hutton: The mergers recommended in the Hampton report are being taken forward by the relevant Departments, who are themselves considering the financial and management arrangements.
	Work is well under way on the programme of mergers, and is on track to meet Philip Hampton's target of April 2009 for completion. For example:
	The Department of Trade and Industry have finished a consultation on their proposals for the Consumer and Trading Standards Agency.
	The Natural England and Rural Communities Bill has been brought before the House, containing provisions to create one of the Hampton thematic regulators, Natural England.
	In addition, the Cabinet Office has just finished consulting on the proposals contained in "A Bill for Better Regulation", which proposes a power to enable regulatory structural reform to take place quickly, with proper scrutiny but without disproportionate use of parliamentary time.

Submarines

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the US Administration regarding (i) an extension to the service life of US Ohio-class submarines and (ii) a replacement for US Ohio-class submarines; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I have been made aware of extensions to the service life of US Ohio-class submarines as part of routine discussions on matters of common interest. I cannot comment on US plans regarding a replacement for the Ohio-class submarines; that is a matter for the US Government.

Peace-building Capabilities (Africa)

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role his Department is playing in strengthening African peace-building capabilities.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence contributes to the strengthening of African peace-building capabilities by training and advising various African armed forces in peace support operations. We do this through permanently-deployed and short-term training teams in key countries. Around 120 British armed forces personnel are based in sub-Saharan Africa to assist in these tasks, this figure does not include our network of defence attachés.

Armed Forces Deployment

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the UK armed forces are (a) deployed on and (b) recuperating from operations.

Adam Ingram: Between April 2005 and June 2005 some 18 per cent. of all regular forces were deployed on operations or other military tasks. This figure does not include personnel preparing for operations or recovering from operations.
	The percentage of Britain's armed forces presently recuperating from operations is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on activity levels is published routinely in the MOD annual report and accounts and the quarterly MOD public service agreement performance reports; these are available on the Ministry of Defence's website.

Departmental Estate

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what land and property is in the possession of his Department in East Belfast; and on what terms in each case.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has the following lands and properties in East Belfast:
	Palace Barracks, Holywood—freehold 56.845Ha.
	Kinnegar Base, Holywood—freehold 22.826Ha.
	Moscow Camp, Belfast Harbour estate—leasehold 6.989Ha.
	1137 Sqn, Air Cadets, Belfast city airport—leasehold 0.244Ha.
	Three married quarters (outside the military bases). Locations withheld for security reasons. These are held on a freehold basis and are "house and garden".

DML

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the deficiencies in project management at DML, identified by his Department in 1996, have been completely rectified; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As a result of concerns that the Ministry of Defence had about DML's ability to manage a project as complex as D154, the company was subjected to three pre-contract award evaluations, the first in 1994 and the last in 1996. As reported by the NAO in their 1998 report into the sale of the dockyards, DML were subsequently required to implement a number of changes in order to satisfy the Department that they were adequately resourced and structured. These conditions were met and the changes in structure, processes and systems implemented by DML were instrumental in ensuring that key facilities were ready in time for the start of HMS Vanguard's overhaul in 2002. This was a major achievement, a fact that was recognised by the NAO in their 2002 report "The construction of nuclear submarine facilities at Devonport".

Fleet Auxiliary Support

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last assessed the needs of the Royal Navy for fleet auxiliary support; what the (a) provision and (b) demand were assessed to be; and what forecast his Department has made of future demand.

Adam Ingram: Our requirement for Royal fleet auxiliary support shipping is regularly assessed and we judge that the present fleet of 15 tankers, stores ships and logistic ships is appropriate for the Navy's requirements. As set out on page 18 of "Delivering Security in a Changing World (Future Capabilities)" (CM6269) presented to the House in July 2004, we expect that a support fleet of about this size will remain appropriate for the foreseeable future.

Animal Husbandry

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations apply to the minimum time which must elapse between a calf being born and being removed from its mother.

Ben Bradshaw: The separation of a calf from its mother at a young age is a well-recognised industry practice. Legally there is no minimum time that a calf must spend with its mother. However, in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 provides that every calf "shall receive bovine colostrum as soon as possible after it is born and in any case within the first six hours of life". Defra's Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Cattle advises that calves should be left with their dam for at least 12 and preferably 24 hours after birth. It also recommends that a calf should continue to receive colostrum from its mother for the first three days of its life.

Animal Trading

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the draft Animal Welfare Bill will include provisions to prohibit the sale of (a) wild animals and (b) products made from animals on the internet; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The United Kingdom is a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is implemented within the EU by the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97).
	Under this regulation all commercial trade in wild animal species listed as endangered is already prohibited, while trade in the other less species is strictly regulated to ensure that it will not be detrimental to their wild populations.

Battle Area Community Transport Scheme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to continue Government funding for the Battle Area Community Transport scheme in East Sussex.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 October 2005
	This question refers to the funding the Battle Area Community Transport received until this year under the Rural Transport Partnership scheme, part of the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages Programme. It has always been the case that this funding was time limited and not to be viewed as mainstream support.
	From April 2005 until March 2006, responsibility for the remainder of the Rural Transport Partnership funding for community transport projects in East Sussex has transferred to the South East England Development Agency. The South East England Development Agency is looking at its rural strategic priorities to ensure careful use of funding support available in the future in line with Government priorities. Of course, there is no certainty at this time whether all existing types of projects will still be relevant. It should be noted that the Regional Development Agencies are not the major source of funding for projects such as the Battle Area Community Transport in rural areas, this will continue to be local authorities.
	The Battle Area Community Transport scheme also receives a small amount of Bus Service Operators Grant from Department for Transport.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to make a statement on the Government's plans to deal with the incidence of bovine TB.

Ben Bradshaw: The "Government strategic framework for the sustainable control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Great Britain" was published on 1 March 2005. This sets out the Government's high level plans for working in partnership with stakeholders to reduce bovine TB over the next 10 years. I expect to make an announcement on more detailed plans for dealing with bovine TB later this autumn.

Marsh Report

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to implement the recommendations of the Marsh Report; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 13 October 2005
	The Government have carefully considered the 14 recommendations made by the report of the Independent Review of Dispensing by Veterinary Surgeons of Prescription Only Veterinary Medicines (the Marsh Report). Of the recommendations made, the Government initially accepted eight, one was rejected and the remaining five were considered by the Government as part of a review of existing European legislation and also in response to a Competition Commission report investigating the cost of veterinary POMs.
	To avoid frequent changes of UK legislation the Government decided to implement the Marsh recommendations at the same time as it implemented the results of the European review of medicines legislation. This has been done in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005, which were subject to extensive public consultation. The regulations were laid in Parliament on 7 October and are due to come into force on 30 October 2005.
	The Marsh Report recommendation for a review of distribution categories of veterinary medicinal products is currently being implemented by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). The VMD has written to interested organisations and stakeholders, requesting that they identify a product, or group of products that they feel should be re-categorised and to explain why. This consultation ends on 19 October 2005 and further information can be obtained from the VMD website (www.vmd.gov.uk) under "Consultations, Current".

Native Amphibians

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list native amphibians classified as (a) critically endangered, (b) endangered and (c) vulnerable; and what percentage of native amphibians this represents.

Jim Knight: No native amphibians are listed as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable under the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.
	The Natterjack toad, Great crested newt and Pool frog are listed as Species of Principal Importance under section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Species Action Plans under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) are in place for each of these species.
	The Pool frog used to occur in East Anglia but the last known native population declined to extinction in the 1990s. As part of the Pool frog action plan the status of the native species was clarified and subsequently the reintroduction potential was investigated. Following extensive research, the first release in the Pool frog reintroduction programme was undertaken in August 2005 at a site in Norfolk, using animals from Sweden. Further releases to the site will take place in future years, and monitoring will assess how the population establishes.
	A review of Priority Species and Habitats under the UKBAP is currently under way and is due to report in 2006.

Native Amphibians

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk posed to native amphibians by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the chytrid fungus B. dendrobatidis, has been discovered in an introduced amphibian species, the North American bullfrog, at a site in Kent.
	During 2005 English Nature has funded the Institute of Zoology to undertake screening of the native amphibians present at the Kent bullfrog site. This work is still in progress, and results are expected soon. Retrospective sampling of native amphibians collected from various locations in southern England in the 1990s detected no B. dendrobatidis infection.
	Until the results of the screening of native amphibians at the Kent site are available, it is difficult to give an accurate assessment of the risk posed by the finding of B. dendrobatidis in the UK. This is because research in other countries has demonstrated a range of responses by amphibian populations. In some cases the amphibians are infected by B.dendrobatidis but appear to show no ill effects, some amphibian populations appear to carry the infection with low levels o f health effects and mortality, whilst some populations suffer massive mortality and eventual local extinction.
	It is encouraging that during routine inspections at the Kent site there have been no obvious signs of disease or higher than normal mortality among native amphibians. Moreover, to our knowledge there is no reported pattern of symptoms or mortality from other amphibian sites that would be consistent with chytridiomycosis.
	The funding of further chytrid screening work in other parts of the UK in 2006 by the Institute of Zoology is currently being discussed.

Recycling

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has (a) to increase recycling targets and (b) to provide targets for increased recycling for local authorities beyond 2005–06; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 14 October 2005
	Defra is undertaking a review of Waste Strategy 2000 this year. Waste Strategy 2000 included a commitment for a "root-and-branch" review in 2010, with smaller reviews in 2005 and 2015. The 2005 review provides an opportunity to reflect on existing policies and delivery mechanisms, to evaluate progress to date on outcomes and to re-affirm our long-term strategy on waste.
	The review will be looking at the targets set in Waste Strategy 2000.
	The Government are also currently undertaking a review of recycling and composting targets for local authorities in the light of performance against 2003–04 targets and will look at what levels and what forms of targets will be the most efficient at continuing the recent improvements we have seen. There will be a public consultation on this later this year.

Recycling

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage local councils to increase the volume and proportion of commercial waste which is recycled; and what targets her Department has for increasing such recycling.

Ben Bradshaw: Local authorities are not currently under an obligation to collect and dispose of commercial waste. However, under s45 Environmental Protection Act 1990, they are required to arrange for the collection of commercial waste if requested to do so by the producer of waste. The authority may charge for the collection of commercial waste. Most commercial waste is collected by private contractors.
	All waste collected by a council falls under the heading of municipal waste, even if it comes from commercial sources.
	For commercial waste (i.e. that portion of waste originating in the commercial sector which is not collected by local authorities), Waste Strategy 2000 sets out a target to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste sent to landfill to 85 per cent. of that landfilled in 1998 by 2005.
	The imposition of landfill tax is designed to help the UK achieve this target. The current rate of landfill tax is £18 per tonne, which is set to rise by £3 per year to £35 per tonne by 2010. Business may receive free and independent support and advice to help them increase their profitability by sending less waste to landfill. Envirowise was set up in 1994 for that purpose. Together, these two instruments have gone a long way towards increasing the amount of commercial waste that is being recycled.
	The most recent data shows that 36.6 per cent. of commercial waste was recycled or re-used in 2002–03. Over the same period, the amount of commercial and industrial waste that was landfilled was 86 per cent. of the amount landfilled in 1998. This shows that the Government are certainly on course to meet the Waste Strategy 2000 target.

Tap Water

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research her Department has carried out on the levels of (a) female contraceptive residues and (b) farm animal growth hormone residues in tap water; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Drinking Water Inspectorate has promoted research into the issue of oestrogens from contraceptive pills in water. The research investigated the effect of conventional water treatment processes on the removal and breakdown of oestrogens. This showed that disinfection treatments such as chlorination or ozonation destroy these chemicals and physical treatments such as sedimentation or filtration remove them by adsorption.
	Other research has shown an absence of oestrogenic response in fish at raw water abstraction points, prior to treatment for drinking water. In light of these results, the Drinking Water Inspectorate is confident that oestrogens will not be detectable in tap water at significant concentrations and no further research is currently planned.
	The use of hormonal substances for growth promotion in farm animals has been banned in the EU since 1988. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) carries out statutory surveillance to monitor compliance with the ban. Its results show no evidence of abuse of such substances. The VMD's surveillance results are available from its website: www.vmd.gov.uk.
	The Government, therefore, believe that no specific research on farm animal growth hormones in tap water is needed, as it is not considered that these substances pose a threat to drinking water quality.

Waste Recovery

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she has made towards meeting the Government's targets for waste recovery set in 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: The Public Service Agreement target on waste recovery, set in 2004,
	"To enable at least 25 per cent. of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2005–06, with further improvement by 2008"
	derives from the recovery targets for municipal waste set in Waste Strategy 2000. These targets for recovery of value (by recycling, composting or other forms of material or energy recovery) from municipal waste were set at 40 per cent. by 2005, 45 per cent. by 2010 and 67 per cent. by 2015.
	To achieve these levels of recovery, targets for the recycling and composting of household waste were set at 25 per cent. by 2005, 30 per cent. by 2010 and 33 per cent. by 2015.
	England successfully exceeded its interim target to recycle and compost 17 per cent. of household waste during 2003–04. Figures published in Defra's Municipal Waste Management Survey show that householders in England recycled and composted nearly 17.7 per cent. of their household waste in 2003–04, up 3:2 per cent. from 14.5 per cent. in 2002–03. Provisional (unaudited) figures for 2004–05 show further improvement to a level approaching 23 per cent.
	The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) set UK businesses a target to recover 53.2 per cent. of all packaging waste in 2004. However, the UK performed considerably better than expected and actually achieved a recovery rate of 55.6 per cent.

A1

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) road accidents and (b) road fatalities there have been on the A1 (i) in Tyne and Wear and (ii) Northumberland in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table shows how many (a) road accidents and (b) road fatalities there have been on the A1 in (i) Tyne and Wear and (ii) Northumberland for the last 10 years.
	
		Number
		
			  Northumberland Tyne and Wear 
			  Fatal accidents All accidents Fatal accidents All accidents 
		
		
			 1995 1 59 0 96 
			 1996 2 62 0 111 
			 1997 4 68 1 134 
			 1998 6 83 2 136 
			 1999 3 66 2 148 
			 2000 2 70 2 152 
			 2001 1 57 1 144 
			 2002 4 77 2 161 
			 2003 3 67 1 171 
			 2004 5 53 2 143 
			 Total 31 662 13 1,396

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector were in each year since 2000; and what measures he has in place to reduce these.

Karen Buck: Information on emissions of carbon dioxide from all sectors is available via the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory at www.naei.org.uk. The figures for the transport sector are as set out in table 1. 2003 is the latest year for which official figures have been produced.
	
		Table 1: CO 2  emissions from the transport sector, by source and by end-user(1) (expressed as megatonnes of carbon) MtC
		
			  CO 2  emissions by source CO 2  emissions by end-user 
		
		
			 2000 33.65 41.16 
			 2001 33.52 41.21 
			 2002 34.01 41.84 
			 2003 34.36 41.57 
		
	
	(1) End user category emissions for transport also include a share of the emissions from combustion of fossil fuels at power stations and other fuel processing industries. Source category emissions do not.
	A summary of the measures currently in place to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector and other sectors was published in the December 2004 consultation document on the Review of the UK Climate Change Programme. This is available at www.defra.gov.uk. As part of the Review, the Government are considering the scope for additional policy measures to reduce emissions from all sectors. A revised UK Climate Change programme is due to be published by the end of the year.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what position the Government are advocating with EU partners in respect of the inclusion within the EU emissions trading scheme of non-EU aircraft landing at European airports.

Karen Buck: The Government's aim set out in the White Paper "The Future of Air Transport", published in 2003, is to achieve an environmentally effective emissions trading regime for the aviation sector that takes due regard of competition impacts and is non-discriminatory as to EU and non-EU operators. The operation of the scheme will be subject to consideration with EU partners and detailed discussion has not yet begun. The UK position will be underpinned by a rigorous assessment of impacts, including those related to competition.

London Hackney Carriages

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out what regulations restrict Hackney carriages outside London from picking up passengers when flagged down on the street.

Karen Buck: Under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, hackney carriage drivers outside London (in England and Wales) are licensed to ply for hire within a "prescribed distance" (normally, as is the case in Solihull, the whole of the local authority area, but if the area is divided into zones, then one or more zones). The drivers can wait at ranks and they can pick up passengers who flag them down while they are located in their own prescribed distance; they cannot accept immediate hirings—whether at ranks or flag-downs—while outside this area.
	In addition to the provisions of taxi legislation, there is also the possibility of regulations restricting the use of hackney carriages on public highways which might have implications for where drivers can accept flagged hirings. These regulations are matters for local traffic authorities. Traffic authorities have powers to restrict or regulate the use of a road by vehicular traffic of any class under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

Midland Mainline

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the level of subsidy to Midland Mainline has been in each year since the first franchise was awarded; and what estimate has been made of the level of subsidy in each year until the end of the current franchise.

Derek Twigg: The Midland Mainline franchise commenced in April 1996. In August 2000 the franchise was extended for two years and as part of that arrangement has neither received any public subsidy nor made any premia payments since January 2001. This position will continue until the end of the franchise. Before 2001, the schedule of annual franchise payments was as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Franchise year Total franchise payments to Midland Mainline 
		
		
			 1996–97 16,454,794.52 
			 1997–98 6,620,838.50 
			 1998–99 1,010,861.18 
			 1999–2000 - 201,870.40 
			 2000–01 - 1,194,868.80

Public Transport (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total Government spending on public transport schemes in East Sussex has been in each year since 1997.

Karen Buck: holding answer 14 October 2005
	The following table shows the amounts spent on local public transport in East Sussex in each year since 1997:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  County council's revenue support for bus services(2)  Local transport capital allocations(3) 
		
		
			 1997–98 2.52 9.05 
			 1998–99 2.82 4.80 
			 1999–2000 3.44 5.22 
			 2000–01 3.91 7.80 
			 2001–02 3.42 10.06 
			 2002–03 3.70 10.80 
			 2003–04 3.90 10.70 
			 2004–05 (4)3.92 13.22 
		
	
	(2) Local authorities provide funding for subsidised local bus services mainly through their Revenue Support Grant (RSG) provided by the Government.
	(3) This Department provides funding for local transport capital projects including the provision of facilities and infrastructure (for example bus lanes) used by public transport.
	(4) Estimate.
	The above figures for revenue support for buses include expenditure met from funds allocated to the authority from the Department's Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) scheme. The RBSG annual allocation for East Sussex has risen from £0.56 million in 1998–99 to £0.91 million this year. In addition, East Sussex has been allocated funding totalling £3.68 million from Rural and Urban Bus Challenge competitions held between 1998 and 2003 for projects typically lasting three years. I understand that funding has also been provided by DEFRA through the Countryside Agency for local transport schemes in the county.

Road Safety (Mobile Telephones)

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much funding has been allocated to dissuading motorists from using hand-held mobile telephones while driving;
	(2)  what road safety campaigns are operating to deter motorists from using a hand-held mobile telephone when driving a motor vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: Mobile phone publicity forms part of the Government's THINK! road safety campaign. Radio and cinema advertising has been used primarily to encourage motorists not to use a hand held mobile phone while driving, but the campaign has also produced posters and leaflets which are distributed free to employers via local authority road safety officers who support our campaigns within their areas. Variable messages signs on motorways also carry advice regarding mobile phones in rotation with other THINK! Road safety messages.
	From the financial year 200304 when the legislation banning the use of hand held mobile phones was introduced until 5 April 2005, the Department invested over 1.5 million in mobile phone publicity campaigns. The Department estimates that it will spend a further 500,000 on publicity in this area in this financial year.
	In addition, in the financial year 200405 the Department paid a grant to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents under the DFT's challenge fund to prepare a leaflet on Mobile Phones and Driving for Employers which contained advice and a sample policy that employers might put in place. This project cost 10,376. The report is available free from ROSPA's website at http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/workmobiles.pdf.

Road Safety Advertising

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what national advertising campaigns relating to (a) reducing speed and (b) drink driving there have been in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government have run national advertising campaigns relating to reducing speed for over 10 years and to reducing drink drive for nearly 40 years.
	Advertising on each of these areas is taken forward under the THINK! road safety campaign, which has an annual budget of 14.1 million. Other campaign subjects include seatbelts, teenagers and children, motorcycles, driver tiredness and mobiles.
	Speed is a year-round problem and to tackle this, the speed reduction campaign runs activity at staggered intervals throughout the year. The campaign includes TV, radio, cinema and posters with an additional radio and poster element dealing specifically with speeding on rural roads.
	The drink drive campaign runs an integrated campaign every year focused particularly at Christmas and in the summer when the killed and seriously injured statistics peak. The campaign traditionally always includes TV, radio and posters and has included cinema advertising since summer 2004. In addition, we have broadened our reach to the target audience of young men by linking with the drinks industry. For example, 20,000 pubs across the country supported the summer 2005 campaign by placing posters highlighting the issue in their pubs.

Stansted Airport Expansion

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the possible impact of (a) changes in the cost of aviation fuel and (b) public attitudes to the environmental impact of the aviation industry on plans for expansion of Stansted airport.

Karen Buck: The policy set out in the Air Transport White Paper to support a second runway at Stansted took account of the economic, social and environmental impacts.
	The Department's air passenger forecasts are kept under review and this process takes account of changes in the cost of aviation fuel along with other factors.
	BAA's planning application for a new runway at the airport will be subject to the requirements of the statutory land-use planning system. A full environmental assessment will be an important consideration during this process.

Adoptions

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the co-ordination of support services for adopted children with psychological and behavioural difficulties.

Maria Eagle: The Government recognise the importance of providing support to adoptive children and their adoptive families. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 introduced, for the first time, a clear duty on local authorities to arrange for the provision of adoption support services in their area. This new duty has been accompanied by a ring-fenced grant to local authorities totalling nearly 70 million between 200304 and 200506. The first phase of adoption support services for adopted children and their families was implemented on 31 October 2003, which included therapeutic services for adoptive children and training for adoptive parents to meet any special needs of the adoptive child. These services will clearly benefit adopted children with psychological and behavioural difficulties. Furthermore, each local authority is required to appoint an Adoption Support Services Adviser to ensure that suitable inter-agency working arrangements are in place between social services, education, local health trusts and other agencies.

Adult Education

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students with learning disabilities have enrolled in adult education courses in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the number of learners in further education (FE) provision funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) with a self-declared learning difficulty and/or disability (LLDD). Figures are given for each year from 1999/2000 to 2003/04:
	
		Adult education Number (Thousand)
		
			   Academic year(6) Students self-declared as LLDD in FE colleges and external institutions 
		
		
			 1999/2000 157.4 
			 2000/01 213.1 
			 2001/02 272.8 
			 2002/03 325.4 
			 2003/04 349.3 
		
	
	(6) The figures for 2002/03 onwards are on a different basis from those for earlier years, so are not directly comparable with the figures up to 2001/02. The figures from 2002/03 onwards are more comprehensive as they include some institutions (such as specialist designated institutions) previously excluded from statistical publications, and also take into account changes to funding arrangements made by the LSC since taking over responsibility for FE funding. The impact of these changes is estimated to have increased overall learner numbers by around 250,000 between 2001/02 and 2002/03, but the effect on numbers of LLDD in particular has not been estimated.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 30 August regarding a constituent.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 13 October 2005
	I responded to my hon. Friend's letter on 13 October.

Further Education Funding

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors were taken into account in making the decision to reduce the annual cash growth allocated to the further education sector for 2005/06 in the Government spending review.

Bill Rammell: Funding for the further education (FE) sector is not being reduced. We are putting more money than ever into further education. Total funding for the FE sector will increase by over 1 billion in 2005/06 compared to 2002/03a 25 per cent. increase.
	The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) through our annual grant letter. Funding allocations for FE providers increased by 16.3 per cent. between 2002/03 and 2003/04, by 9.1 per cent. between 2003/04 and 2004/05, and by 4.4 per cent. between 2004/05 and 2005/06.
	The particularly large increase in 200304 is a result of the consolidation of previously targeted funds, and the extra investment through Success for All. All colleges received increases in core funding rates of 2.5 per cent. above inflation in 200405 and 200506, with some colleges receiving even higher increases. The relatively lower increase in 200506 is still significantly higher than inflation and in part reflects actual learner numbers in colleges as compared to plans, and the Government's intentionas set out in the Skills Strategy and reaffirmed in the Skills White Paper: Getting on in Business, Getting on in Workto rebalance over time the contributions of the state, employers and individuals towards the costs of learning. This was reflected in a 2.5 percentage point increase in the assumed fee contribution to the cost of learning for those learners not in national entitlement groups. Even so, this resulted in seven out of 10 colleges receiving an above inflation increase in budgetalmost half of them getting an increase of over 5 per cent.

Post-16 Education

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people (a) participated in further education and (b) were categorised as not in education, employment or training in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The breakdown of the number and percentage of young people (aged 16 to 18) participating in education, training and employment (including those not in education, employment or training (NEET)) over the last five years is given in the table.
	
		
			  As at end of the calendar year: 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004(11) 
		
		
			 Number (Thousand)  
			 Full-time education 1,010.4 1,027.4 1,059.7 1,086.1 1,112.6 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL) 167.3 156.6 151.4 156.7 153.2 
			 Other education and training(12) 188.3 201.8 202.9 206.8 207.2 
			 Total in education and training 1,362.2 1,382.7 1,410.7 1,446.2 1,469.6 
			 In employment 262 287 297 300 286 
			 NEET 166 179 185 183 194 
			 Population 606.7 633.5 631.6 645.8 659.0 
			   
			 Percentage  
			 Full-time education 56.4 55.6 56.0 56.3 57.1 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL) 9.3 8.5 8.0 8.1 7.9 
			 Other education and training(12) 10.5 10.9 10.7 10.7 10.6 
			 Total in education and training 76.1 74.8 74.5 75.0 75.4 
			 In employment 15 16 16 16 15 
			 NEET 9 10 10 9 10 
		
	
	(11) Provisional.
	(12) Includes Employer Funded Training (EFT) and other part-time education not funded by employers or through WBL; also those in private FE and HE institutions.
	Source:
	Statistical First Release, Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16 to18 Year Olds in England.

Special Needs Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent, as a proportion of total budget, by Essex local education authority on special needs education in each of the last seven years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is only available from 200001 onwards and is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs () Total education revenue expenditure(13) () Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with SEN as a percentage of total education revenue expenditure 
		
		
			 200001 62,904,000 556,060,000 11.3 
			 200102 68,285,000 607,373,000 11.2 
			 200203 69,328,000 642,450,000 10.8 
			 200304 75,876,000 690,692,000 11.0 
			 200405 81,359,000 728,708,000 11.2 
			 200506(14) 87,946,000 789,967,000 11.1 
		
	
	(13) Total education revenue expenditure is the combination of the total schools budget and the total local authority budget.
	(14) 200506 data are provisional and are subject to change by the local authority.
	Notes:
	1. Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to nursery, primary and secondary schools identified as notional SEN and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools.
	2. The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against notional SEN are only indicative of the amount that might be spent by schools on SEN and, from 200405 onwards, notional SEN delegated to nursery schools was reported on section 52 for the first time and this accounts for 13,000 and 14,000 of the 200405 and 200506 totals respectively. In 200506, Essex also budgeted 13.5 million for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the budgeted net expenditure on SEN as figures are not available prior to 200506.
	3. Figures are as reported by the LEA in cash terms as at 13 October 2005 and are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and may not sum due to founding.

Crime

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on (a) levels and (b) detection rates of (i) violent crime, (ii) sexual crime, (iii) car crime, (iv) robbery and (v) burglary in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Hazel Blears: The Hornsey and Wood Green constituency comes within the Haringey basic command unit. The levels of recorded offences and detection rates for the crimes requested are given in the tables.
	
		Recorded crimes in the Haringey basic command unit200405
		
			 Offence type Number of offences 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 6,326 
			 Sexual offences(16) 423 
			 Robbery 1,430 
			 Violent crime 8,179 
			 Domestic burglary 3,184 
			 Vehicle crime 4,996 
		
	
	(16) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.
	
		Detection rates in the Haringey basic command unit200405
		
			 Offence type Percentage detected 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 46 
			 Sexual offences(17) 38 
			 Robbery 15 
			 Violent crime 40 
			 Domestic burglary 16 
			 Vehicle crime 4 
		
	
	(17) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

Criminal Courts

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the recommendation regarding disclosure made by Lord Justice Auld in his review of the criminal courts report has been implemented.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Government's response to Sir Robin Auld's recommendations, including those on disclosure, is set out in the Annex to the Criminal Justice White Paper: Justice for All (CM 5563) issued in July 2002. In large part the recommendations on disclosure were accepted and implemented in the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the relevant provisions of which came into force on four April 2005. The recommendation that the Government consider setting up a new statutory scheme for third party disclosure remains under consideration. Owing to its wide ranging and complex nature, an interdepartmental working party has been established to take forward this recommendation.

Group 4

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by his Department and public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible on security contracts with Group 4 Securicor in 200405; and if he will list (a) the nature and location of services provided and (b) the start and end dates of such contracts.

Charles Clarke: The total aggregate expenditure by the Department, its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPB's) on security contracts directly with Group 4 Securicor during the financial year 200405 was 90,826,000. Details of the nature and location of the services provided and the start and end dates of the current contracts that the expenditure relates to are provided in the following table. Group 4 Securicor also provide services to the Youth Justice Board as an operating sub-contractor at Oakhill Secure Training Centre Milton Keynes. The contract is held by STC (Milton Keynes) Ltd. Contracts have also been placed with fully owned operating subsidiary companies of Group 4 Securicor. One is for the provision of security guards at PSDB from November 2003 until October 2006 and Securicor (now G4S Justice Services Ltd.) provided an approved overseas escort service for Immigration and Nationality Directorate during 200405.
	
		
			 Services provided Location Spend () Contract start date Contract end date 
		
		
			 HM Prison Parc Bridgend, South Wales 31,190,000 4 January 1996 3 January 2021 
			 Electronic Monitoring Northern 47,670,000 28 January 1999 30 April 2005 
			 Prisoner escorts Metropolitan area, London 11,966,000 27 June 1994 28 August 2004

Jury Trial

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on consultation undertaken regarding the appropriateness of jury trial for all cases.

Charles Clarke: The Criminal Justice Act 2003 makes provision for trial by a judge sitting without a jury in serious or complex fraud cases, and in cases of jury tampering. Before that legislation was introduced, the White Paper Justice for All, published in July 2002, invited views on the proposal that it should be possible for a court to order non-jury trial in such circumstances. There has been no consultation about the appropriateness of jury trial in the generality of cases, since no further reform is contemplated.

Management Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total expenditure saved in each of the last three years as a result of implementing recommendations by management consultancies within his Department.

Charles Clarke: My Department does not hold information in a form that would enable this question to be answered without incurring disproportionate cost

Prison Sentences

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prison sentences handed down in (a) 1992, (b) 1997, (c) 2001 and (d) 2004 were for (i) six months or less, (ii) three months or less and (iii) five weeks or less; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The proportion of prison sentences handed down in (a) 1992,(b) 1997, (c) 2001 and (d) 2003, for (i) six months or less, (ii) three months or less and (iii) five weeks or less, is shown in the following table.
	
		Proportion of those sentenced to custody given sentence lengths in specific ranges, 19922003 England and Wales Percentage
		
			 Sentence band 1992 1997 2001 2003 
		
		
			 Six months or less 55.6 61.0 65.8 65.2 
			 Three months or less 33.5 37.4 38.5 37.9 
			 Five weeks or less 11.0 11.3 12.8 13.2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The shorter sentence length groups are subsets of the longer sentence groups. For example, in 2003 the 13.2 per cent. who received a custodial sentence length of five weeks or less are included in the 37.9 per cent. who received a sentence of three months or less.
	2. The data for 2004 is unpublished and therefore not included. This data will be available from 27 October 2005.

Proceeds of Crime

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been seized as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since its commencement, broken down by (a) constituency, (b) London borough and (c) police authority; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 13 October 2005
	Information is not available in the form requested. The total value of assets recovered by all agencies under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was 54.5 million in 200304 and 84.4 million in 200405. The total value of cash forfeiture orders and confiscation orders obtained by each police force in England and Wales in 200304 and 200405 is set out in the table. Information for 200506 is still being validated. Assets recovered in a year do not necessarily relate to orders obtained in the same year.
	
		Total value of cash forfeitures and confiscation orders obtained by police forces in England and Wales 
		
			 Force 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset constabulary 594,347.00 1,959,930.23 
			 Bedfordshire police 3,392,094.53 154,828.69 
			 British Transport police 156,471.60 281,376.94 
			 Cambridgeshire constabulary 278,679.84 2,695,434.41 
			 Cheshire constabulary 250,263.36 541,557.19 
			 City of London police 1,200,282.09 2,211,123.08 
			 Cleveland police 19,140.04 230,220.07 
			 Cumbria constabulary 120,917.41 1,124,156.05 
			 Derbyshire constabulary 71,140.10 2,540,453.70 
			 Devon and Cornwall constabulary 192,616.60 1,182,881.95 
			 Dorset police 147,532.10 1,050,401.06 
			 Durham constabulary 235,600.50 477,399.45 
			 Dyfed-Powys police 121,750.34 201,061.20 
			 Essex police 0.00 192,804.57 
			 Gloucestershire constabulary 930,442.19 390,469.23 
			 Greater Manchester police 2,798,966.37 3,453,431.70 
			 Gwent police 52,140.42 442,673.90 
			 Hampshire constabulary 298,447.77 333,792.86 
			 Hertfordshire constabulary 929,368.00 440,353.93 
			 Humberside police 826,661.75 255,656.67 
			 Kent police 1,210,503.91 1,926,936.62 
			 Lancashire constabulary 120,953.30 3,743,146.94 
			 Leicestershire constabulary 1,087,417.48 891,588.29 
			 Lincolnshire police 143,411.38 307,912.23 
			 Merseyside police 1,217,852.89 2,908,711.21 
			 Metropolitan police service 5,950,410.55 26,426,648.39 
			 National Crime Squad 5,991,570.46 11,940,373.79 
			 Norfolk constabulary 89,325.89 911,868.06 
			 North Wales police 89,522.03 109,758.12 
			 North Yorkshire police 0.00 205,081.94 
			 Northamptonshire police 556,066.08 1,063,417.47 
			 Northumbria police 691,770.20 909,645.62 
			 Nottinghamshire police 875,434.60 1,336,612.41 
			 South Wales police 75,637.44 400,577.52 
			 South Yorkshire police 784,579.88 1,330,077.48 
			 Staffordshire police 373,784.34 260,405.82 
			 Suffolk constabulary 137,649.75 430,715.69 
			 Surrey police 1,480,550.62 648,947.84 
			 Sussex police 652,221.26 1,002,181.72 
			 Thames Valley police 1,182,132.20 750,663.61 
			 Warwickshire police 83,116.50 57,357.29 
			 West Mercia constabulary 1,180,461.28 999,467.06 
			 West Midlands police 819,117.30 2,053,433.63 
			 West Yorkshire police 2,874,164.65 2,265,457.57 
			 Wiltshire constabulary 39,848.45 482,559.71 
			 Total 40,324,364.45 83,523,552.91

Rape

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) investigations into and (b) successful prosecutions for rape in London there were in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: Data on the number of investigations is not centrally collected. The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for rape in London between 1997 and 2003 are contained in the following table.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Offenders found guilty at all courts for rape in London(21) 1997 to 2003(22)(23)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 116 
			 1998 111 
			 1999 103 
			 2000 112 
			 2001 89 
			 2002 119 
			 2003 132 
		
	
	(21) Includes Metropolitan Police and City of London police force areas.
	(22) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(23) Rape includes: rape of a female and male.
	Source:
	RDSOffice for Criminal Justice Reform, Home Office.

Russell Commission

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the Russell Commission report; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The cost of producing the Russell Commission report was 330,051. This includes communication costs, consultation exercises and events, the writing and printing of the report, launch activity and the management of the Commission's Youth Advisory Board.
	The Russell Commission reported in March 2005 with a headline recommendation of the creation of a dedicated implementation body, which will take the lead in delivering a new framework for youth action and engagement. The Home Office Active Communities Directorate has created a small implementation team to take forward the Commission's recommendations. This team will work closely with other Government Departments, the private sector and voluntary sector on a number of activities between now and March 2006, at which point the dedicated implementation body will be launched.

Terrorism

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compatibility of (a) sections one to three, (b) sections 17 and 18, (c) section 19 and (d) section 20 of the draft Terrorism Bill with the European Convention of Human Rights.

Hazel Blears: My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, has signed a statement under Section 19(A) of the Human Rights Act 1998 stating that in his opinion the Terrorism Bill is compatible with the Convention rights.

Gambling Act

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate the Government has made of the change in the number of adult gaming centres as a consequence of the Gambling Act 2005;
	(2)  what changes the Government has made to controls on (a) the number, (b) the needs test for new premises and (c) maximum prizes allowed for adult gaming centres under its gambling reforms.

Richard Caborn: The Gambling Act 2005 creates a specific regulatory regime for adult gaming centres for the first time.
	This will clearly distinguish adult gaming centres, which children will be prohibited from entering, from other premises like seaside arcades (termed family entertainment centres in the Act) which children will be permitted to enter. Adult gaming centres will be subject to the full requirements for operating, premises and personal licences introduced by the new Act, and operators will need to comply with new requirements relating to social responsibility or risk losing their licence.
	No estimate has been made of the number of arcades likely to apply for adult gaming centre licences under the new Act. However, the Gambling Commission estimates that a total of 1,750 arcades will apply either for adult gaming centre licences or for family entertainment centre licences. A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Gambling Act was published on 21 April 2005. It concluded that the gaming machine reforms in the Act would increase competition between adult gaming centres and other venues offering machine gambling, including casinos, bingo halls, licensed betting offices and members' clubs.
	Arcades are not subject to any control on numbers or a needs test under the existing legislation. Currently, all arcades are permitted to offer gaming machines with a maximum prize of 25. When the 2005 Act is implemented, adult gaming centres will additionally be able to offer up to four gaming machines with a maximum prize of 500.

London Bombings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of the London bombings of 7 and 21 July 2005 on tourism in (a) London and (b) England; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: I met representatives of the London and UK tourism sector on 12 July and 6 October 2005. I have also received regular updates on work to assess the economic effects of the bombings, and on recovery work, through the VisitBritain-led Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group.
	The Group commissioned work from Oxford economic forecasting following 22 July 2005, the results of which project the financial effects of the bombings as follows:
	(a) the turnover of the London tourism industry is projected to be 500 million lower than previously expected; and
	(b) total tourism revenues across the UK are projected to be 750 million lower than previously expected (separate figures for England were not produced).
	Although there has been a downturn in domestic tourists visiting London, the visitor economy in both the UK and London is still expected to grow by the end of 2005. Overseas visitor arrivals are expected to grow by 6 per cent. in London with spending likely to increase by 8 per cent. with the United States market remaining particularly strong.
	My Department and its partner organisations in the private and public sectors continue to monitor the situation closely.

London Olympics

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what weight will be given to the environmental record of prospective bidders in determining tenders for work in connection with the London Olympics 2012.

Tessa Jowell: The Procurement Principles, recently published by the interim Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), recognise the need to maximise the potential to improve the environment in East London and minimise adverse environmental impact of the Games and legacy development. The Procurement Strategy, currently being developed by the interim ODA, will specifically address this important issue.

London Olympics

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the 2012 Olympic Games on the Tooting constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring significant sporting, social and economic benefits to London and the whole of the UK. The Games will inspire a new generation to greater sporting activity and will leave a fantastic legacy of state-of-the-art sporting facilities in London. Tooting residents will experience the unique opportunity of having the world's greatest sporting event nearby and there will be a range of opportunities to get involved in the Games, whether as an athlete, spectator or volunteer. The people of Tooting will also share in the significant improvements to London's transport infrastructure and the community will have the opportunity to participate in the four-year cultural festival that will accompany the Games.

London Olympics

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what commitments she has made in respect of Government funding to support delivery of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics games.

Tessa Jowell: The Government funding commitments remain as stated in the candidature file and as presented to the IOC in Singapore this July.

Air Miles

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many air miles were accrued through ministerial travel in his Department in 200405, broken down by Minister; how many were (a) foregone and (b) donated to charity, broken down by charity; and whether air miles accrued by officials were required to be (i) foregone and (ii) given to charity.

John Healey: The information on the number of air miles accrued and their application could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Ministerial travel is conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. Guidance for Ministers on the use of air miles is set out in the Ministerial Code. The guidance makes clear that air miles should be used only for official purposes or else foregone. However, if it is impracticable to use the benefits for Government travel, there is no objection to Ministers donating them to charity if this is permissible under the terms of the airline's scheme and the charity is one chosen by the airline.
	Similar rules are in place for officials.

Controlled Oil

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many registered dealers of controlled oil there are in (a) the UK, (b) England and Wales and (c) Scotland;
	(2)  how many registered dealers of controlled oil have ceased trading since the start of the new HM Customs and Revenue scheme governing them;
	(3)  whether HM Revenue and Customs requires registered dealers of controlled oil to have IT systems specifically to deal with the scheme; and whether financial assistance is available for this expenditure;
	(4)  how much the new scheme to regulate registered dealers of controlled oil has cost to date; and what its forecast costs are in each of the next five years;
	(5)  what mechanisms are in place to monitor the effectiveness of the new scheme to control registered dealers of controlled oil.

John Healey: There are 4,723 registrations under the registered dealers in controlled oil (RDCO) scheme in the UK, of which 3,771 are in England and Wales, and 307 in Scotland. Since the start of the scheme, 398 dealers have ceased trading.
	Registered dealers in controlled oil must keep revenue records and accounts of controlled oil that they have received and supplied, and provide details to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly. These records and accounts need not be held on a computer, and HMRC does not provide financial assistance to traders wishing to buy IT systems.
	The UK oils strategy, of which the RDCO scheme is an important part, received 95.9 million in funding at its launch, in April 2002, for the period 200203 to 200506. Of that figure, 341,000 was spent on the development of computer systems to handle RDCO data, but more detailed costs for the implementation and administration of the scheme are not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Forecast costs for future years are not available
	Analysis of RDCO returns allows HMRC to identify suspicious transactions without having to impose on traders more visits than necessary. HMRC also meets the legitimate trade to share intelligence on the oils market, including the effects of the RDCO scheme. As part of the wider oils strategy, the RDCO scheme has contributed significantly to the reduction in the UK market share held by illicit oils from 8 per cent. in 2000 to around 6 per cent. in 2003.

Tax Credits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are in receipt of child tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families with tax credits for 200304 awards, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 200304, appear in the HMRC statistical publication Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics: 200304. More recent provisional estimates for in-work families, as at selected dates in 200405 appear in the publication Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics: Provisional Awards at Snapshot Dates. The estimates are based on samples and are subject to significant sampling uncertainty. These publications can be found on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm.

Tax Credits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Treasury of administering child tax credit was in each year since it was established.

Dawn Primarolo: The cost of managing and paying the child and working tax credits in the financial year 200304 appear in note 3 to the Trust Statement in the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for 200304. The same costs for the financial year 200405 appear in note 3 to the Trust Statement in the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for 200405. Figures for 200506 will not be available until the Trust Statement for that year is released.

Tax Credits

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the extent of in-year tax credit overpayment in Scotland, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 200304 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency and local authority, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 200304 are published in Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards. 200304 Geographical Analysis. This publication is available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
	Information on the number of in-year adjustments to tax credit awards is not available.

Access to Treatment

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what intermediate goals his Department has set to judge its progress in contributing to the G8's commitment to achieving as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In line with the commitments made both at G8 summit at Gleneagles and the Millennium Review summit, the UK acting as G8 Presidency has taken active steps to progress work with the international community, in particular the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS),
	to develop and implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care, with the aim of as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010.
	On September 2, the UK (acting as G8 president) called an informal meeting attended by members of the G8, developing countries, civil society, UNAIDS, the WHO, the World Bank, and UNICEF to address next steps. This resulted in a strong and shared commitment to joint action and to move this forward, recognising that efforts to meet these must:
	be country-owned and country-led;
	develop a package which balances treatment, prevention and carea comprehensive response is essential to achieve this ambitious goal;
	situate actions to achieve Universal Access in wider efforts to eradicate poverty, including strengthening health services;
	involve all key players: civil society, private sector, donors and affected countries.
	UNAIDS has been asked to develop a process and set intermediate targets to mobilise action at country level and to address any blockages at global level (for example on questions of drug pricing and procurement). They expect to establish a taskforce, building on the work of the Global Task Team on AIDS Co-ordination among Multilateral Institutions and International Donors (GTT). The taskforce is expected to comprise of high-level representatives of UN member states (donors and developing countries), multilateral institutions, research institutions, the private sector and civil society groups, including people with HIV. UNAIDS will be asked to report on steps taken and action required to meet on these commitments at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2006.

European Development Fund

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his policy towards linking good governance with the distribution of financing available under the 9th European Development Fund.

Gareth Thomas: Commitments to good governance underpin the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)European Union (EU) Partnership Agreement (known as the 'Cotonou Agreement').
	Resources under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) were allocated on the basis of country needs and performance. The latter includes Government actions in institutional reform and accountability, democratic freedoms, and macro-economic and sectoral policy. The mid-term and end-of-term reviews of country strategies provide the opportunity to adjust these allocations, taking account of new needs and performance.
	Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democratic principles, the rule of law and measures to fight corruption are essential or fundamental elements of the Cotonou Agreement, and are the subject of regular dialogue between the EU and partner countries. Where concerns arise, measures are identified to resolve the issue.
	The Government believe the quality of institutions of governance is crucial to reducing poverty, safeguarding basic rights and ensuring the appropriate use of development funds. We fully support a regular and comprehensive dialogue on these issues.

St. Helena

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list consultancy companies which the Department has used in drawing up tourism strategies for the Island of St. Helena.

Hilary Benn: DFID has used the consultancy company listed as follows in drawing up tourism strategies for the Island of St. Helena:
	Consultant
	Edward Kelly
	Project Title
	Consultancy to Update the St Helena Tourism Strategy

United Nations

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the Government (a) made representations to and (b) held discussions with (i) counterparts in other UN member states and (ii) at UN meetings in respect of the future plans and management of the (1) UN Emergency Fund and (2) UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs; and what proposals the UK put forward on these occasions.

Hilary Benn: Since I set out my proposals for reform of the international humanitarian system in December last year, DFID Ministers and senior officials have talked to a number of other UN member states, in particular about the development of a revised and expanded UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF). I attended the UN Millennium Review summit in September, and spoke at a humanitarian reform event at which Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg announced contributions to the revised CERF totalling US$60 million, in addition to previously announced Norwegian and UK contributions of US$30 million and US$70 million respectively.
	At a Good Humanitarian Donorship meeting with a number of donors on 5 October in Geneva, chaired by DFID, a range of humanitarian reform proposals were discussed, including the role that the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) should play in them. On 6 October, a meeting of the OCHA Donor Support Group was held, chaired by the US, at which the leading donors to OCHA (including the UK) discussed OCHA's future workplans, priorities and challenges with senior OCHA officials. The UK provides financial support to OCHA to improve its performance in planning and co-ordination of humanitarian responses, with emphasis on protection of vulnerable populations, and disaster management and risk reduction initiatives.

Africa

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British embassies have closed in Africa in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 11 October 2005, Official Report, columns 2123WS. In the last 12 months, the FCO has closed the British embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The British High Commissions in Maseru, Lesotho, and in Mbabane, Swaziland, were also closed in this period.

Burma

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to stop human rights violations taking place in Burma;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to bring the Burmese regime to justice for human rights violations.

Ian Pearson: The Government have strongly criticised the Burmese regime's abuses of human rights. The UK works closely with international partners to press for improvements to human rights in Burma and fully supports the efforts of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Professor Sergio Pinheiro. Human rights violations have been highlighted by successive highly critical UK co-sponsored UN Resolutions on Burma, most recently at the UN Commission on Human Rights in April. We also support the efforts of the International Labour Organisation to end the use of forced labour. The EU has repeatedly condemned Burma's lack of progress on this issue.
	There is currently no international tribunal with jurisdiction over Burma. Furthermore, we note that the National League for Democracy Central Executive Committee wrote on 27 December 2004 to Senior General Than Shwe proposing that past deeds should be deleted, i.e. the slate should be wiped clean.

Hong Kong

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12th July 2005, Official Report, column 878W, on Sir Donald Tsang, whether Sir Donald Tsang (a) has asked the Department not to use his title and (b) informed the Department that he does not wish to be known by it.

Ian Pearson: Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang has not asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office not to use his title. Donald Tsang chooses not to use his title in his official capacity, and in official correspondence the Chief Executive is referred to as The Honourable Donald Tsang. We therefore respect this evident preference.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the legality of Israel's E1 plan outside Jerusalem and (b) its implications for progress with the Road Map.

Kim Howells: The plan to expand the Israeli settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim into the so-called E1 area east of Jerusalem, combined with the proposed route of the barrier, threatens to complete the encircling of the city by settlements and cut off Palestinian East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. This would have serious economic, social and humanitarian consequences for Palestinians who live in these areas.
	These Israeli actions are in violation of Israel's Roadmap obligations and international law. If they continue, they will make it harder to reach a final status agreement on Jerusalem. We and others in the international community have made our concerns on this clear to the Government of Israel.

West Papua

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of human rights abuses in West Papua.

Ian Pearson: We are concerned about reports of human rights abuses in Papua, and we raise these regularly with the Government of Indonesia, We also encourage the Indonesian Government to engage in dialogue with Papuan representatives and to proceed with full implementation of the Special Autonomy legislation.
	We are encouraged by President Yudhoyono's recent statements that his Government wishes to solve the issue in Papua through dialogue,
	in a peaceful, just and dignified manner.

Classrooms (Road Noise)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are set for the maximum level of background road noise in (a) classrooms and (b) classrooms in schools with special needs.

Angela Smith: At present there are no specific guidelines in Northern Ireland that set the maximum level of background road noise in classrooms.
	However, when considering acoustics in schools, the Department of Education and school authorities currently follow the guidance in Building Bulletin 87, Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools, issued by the Department for Education and Skills, which states the following:
	Each room or other space in a school building shall have the acoustic conditions and the insulation against disturbance by noise, appropriate to its normal use.

Firearm Certificates

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) firearm certificates were held, (b) new applications for firearm certificates were granted and (c) firearm certificates were extinguished in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Statistics held by the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Firearms Licensing Branch are as follows:
	
		
			  Total firearm certificates held New grants Extinguished 
		
		
			 19992000 81,783 2,948 n/a 
			 200001 80,809 2,632 n/a 
			 200102 80,113 2,523 n/a 
			 200203 79,223 2,682 n/a 
			 200304 78,066 2,742 n/a 
			 200405 n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	Statistics are not available for 200405.

Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new nurses have been appointed in the Province in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows.
	
		Number of qualified nurses joining the HPSS in each of the last five years
		
			  Headcount Wholetime equivalent 
		
		
			 April 2000 to March 2001 1,214 1,060.92 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 982 880.53 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 1,736 1,545.53 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 1,483 1,347.21 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 1,194 1,103.66 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Joiner figures may include: new graduates, return to practice, recruitment from independent and private sector, staff from other parts of the UK, Republic of Ireland and overseas.
	2. Qualified nurses includes midwives and health visitors.

Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate how many of the Province's qualified nurses have left the profession in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of qualified nurses who have left the nursing profession is not collected. However, the number of qualified nurses leaving the HPSS in the last 10 years is provided in the following table.
	
		Number of qualified nurses leaving the HPSS in each of the last 10 years
		
			 April to March Headcount Whole time equivalent 
		
		
			 199596 912 787.01 
			 199697 1,104 925.37 
			 199798 1,297 1,090.22 
			 199899 1,120 906.73 
			 19992000 725 609.63 
			 200001 955 814.01 
			 200002 896 741.84 
			 200203 739 625.42 
			 200304 913 765.48 
			 200405 893 756.22 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Leavers may include: retirees, staff transferring to the independent or private sector, staff transferring to the NHS in England, Scotland or Wales, staff taking a career break and other destinations.
	2. Information on the actual destination of leavers is not collected.
	3. Qualified nurses include midwives and health visitors.

Physiotherapists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many physiotherapists have been appointed in the Province in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Information requested is provided in the table.
	
		Number of physiotherapists joining the HPSS in each of the last five years
		
			  Headcount Whole time equivalent 
		
		
			 April 2000 to March 2001 58 51.93 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 74 68.34 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 81 71.76 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 96 90.92 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 92 85.31 
		
	
	Notes:
	Joiner figures may include: new graduates, return to practice, recruitment from independent and private sector, staff from other parts of the UK, Republic of Ireland and overseas.

Smoking

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the implications of the recent announcement by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission that the freedom to work in a smoke-free environment is a human rights issue; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: On 17 October 2005 the Department announced that it would introduce comprehensive controls on smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces, including pubs and bars. A key factor in the decision was the need to protect the public and employees from the dangers of exposure to second hand smoke. It is the intention that the legislation will come into force before the summer of 2007.

Speed Limits (Residential Zones)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many 20 mph residential zones are planned in Northern Ireland; and what the locations are of the planned zones;
	(2)  how many 20 mph residential zones there are in Northern Ireland;
	(3)  if he will list the location of all 20 mph residential zones within Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Iris Robinson, dated 17 October 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland three Parliamentary Questions: how many 20 mph residential zones are planned in Northern Ireland, and what the locations are of the planned zones; how many 20 mph residential zones there are in Northern Ireland, and if he will list the location of all current 20 mph residential zones within Northern Ireland. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	By way of information, I should explain that 20-mph zones are a form of traffic calming and are generally implemented in residential areas where an extensive network of streets is involved and self-enforcing measures can be provided to reduce vehicle speeds to approximately 20-mph. Whenever speeds have been reduced to this, it is then possible to introduce a mandatory 20-mph limit. If the level of traffic calming measures are insufficient to reduce speeds to around 20-mph, then it is not possible to introduce a 20-mph mandatory limit.
	Roads Service has implemented thirty-seven 20 mph residential zones in the following locations:
	Andersons town area, Belfast
	Ardoyne area, Belfast
	Ballymurphy area, Belfast
	Ballynafeigh area, Belfast
	Bloomfield area, Belfast
	Donegall Road Village area, Belfast
	Holylands area, Belfast
	Riverdale area, Belfast
	Sullenboy Park, Cookstown
	Braeside, Dungannon
	Meadowbank, Dungannon
	Windmill Court, Dungannon
	Windmill Drive, Dungannon
	Woodburn Crescent, Dungannon
	Beech Hill, Enniskillen
	Cavandale, Enniskillen
	Severn Street area, Belfast
	Taughmonagh area, Belfast
	Tonagh Estate, Lisburn
	Turf Lodge area, Belfast
	Greenvale Drive, Cookstown
	Ratheen Avenue, Cookstown
	Derrin Road, Enniskillen
	Erne Drive, Enniskillen
	Meelmore Drive, Omagh
	Carlton Drive, Strabane
	Lisnafin Road, Strabane
	Sycamore Drive, Enniskillen
	Willowvale, Enniskillen
	Altmore Drive, Dungannon
	Lisnahull Road, Dungannon
	Mournebeg Drive, Dungannon
	Corban Avenue, Enniskillen
	Ballycolman, Strabane
	Lisanally Lane, Armagh
	Brownstown West, Portadown
	Carlisle Park, Ballynahinch
	In addition Roads Service has plans to implement a further eight 20mph residential zones in the following locations, subject to them clearing the necessary statutory procedures and the availability of funding:
	Windmill Heights, Enniskillen
	Espey Road, Killyman
	Springhill Park, Strabane
	Sion Mills, village area
	Parkview, Pomeroy
	Parkview Drive, Pomeroy
	Shanroy Park, Pomeroy
	Scrabo Estate, Newtownards
	I should also advise that Roads Service has implemented one non-mandatory advisory 20-mph zone in Earhart Park, Londonderry, and has plans for a further three advisory 20-mph zones in Westlake and Duncastle Park, Londonderry and in Collinbridge area, Newtownabbey. The primary aim of these advisory 20-mph zones is to test the effectiveness of signing alone without the accompanying self enforcing engineering measures.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Sports Council

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been allocated by the Sports Council in Northern Ireland over the last five years, broken down by (a) Westminster parliamentary constituency and (b) district council area.

David Hanson: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has allocated Exchequer and Lottery funding in Northern Ireland for the amounts shown in the table in the last five years. This includes funding for bodies with a province-wide remit, for example, governing bodies of sport.
	
		Monies allocated by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland  million
		
			  Exchequer Lottery 
		
		
			 200001 4.423 5.528 
			 200102 3.536 2.090 
			 200203 5.276 1.896 
			 200304 7.096 2.903 
			 200405 5.937 0.788 
		
	
	Information on Exchequer and Lottery funding for sport is retained by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland in accordance with how it is distributed, i.e. to sport, to individual athletes, district council areas and by programme. Information on Exchequer funding has only been kept, with regard to district council area, since 200304, therefore the information requested for district council areas cannot be provided for Exchequer funding for the years 200001, 200102 and 200203. Exchequer and Lottery funding is not distributed on a parliamentary constituency Basis, and consequently, the details requested regarding funding broken down by parliamentary constituency areas cannot be provided, except at disproportionate cost.
	The amounts of exchequer funding allocated by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland on a district council basis for the years 200304 and 200405 are shown in the following table:
	
		Exchequer funding by Sports Council for Northern Ireland  
		
			 Council area 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Antrim 0 920 
			 Ards 0 0 
			 Armagh 32,412 28,904 
			 Ballymena 46,989 20,000 
			 Ballymoney 0 108,088 
			 Banbridge 7,610 16,013 
			 Belfast 269,763 722,941 
			 Carrickfergus 0 3,517 
			 Castlereagh 0 105,530 
			 Coleraine 2,101 119,510 
			 Cookstown 16,097 20,297 
			 Craigavon 56,640 306,046 
			 Derry 53,914 353,690 
			 Down 0 136,213 
			 Dungannon 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 0 0 
			 Larne 0 114,000 
			 Limavady 10,845 11,720 
			 Lisburn 3,750 37,316 
			 Magherafelt 15,250 16,550 
			 Moyle 17,045 42,008 
			 Newry and Mourne 0 112,000 
			 Newtownabbey 22,554 38,000 
			 North Down 9,850 4,680 
			 Omagh 8,484 38,636 
			 Strabane 0 112,500 
		
	
	The amounts of Lottery funding allocated by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland on a district council basis for the years 200001 to 200405 are shown in the table. Minus figures indicate awards made in previous years, which have been withdrawn (e.g. for insufficient partnership funding).
	
		Lottery funding by Sports Council for Northern Ireland 
		
			 Council area 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Antrim 350,000 160,000 365,000 67,000 -134,963 
			 Ards 106,450 0 33,313 -8,077 -43,373 
			 Armagh 46,389 268,524 70,000 286,327 -210,079 
			 Ballymena 170,000 0 80,000 188,443 395,000 
			 Ballymoney 105,375 0 0 0 0 
			 Banbridge Nil 53,000 85,000 190,000 -4,200 
			 Belfast 822,577 163,908 150,000 0 611,847 
			 Carrickfergus 0 14,000 0 0 0 
			 Castlereagh 60,000 0 30,345 70,000 -60,000 
			 Coleraine 58,019 0 0 85,000 -8,871 
			 Cookstown 308,188 150,000 104,860 0 -25,236 
			 Craigavon 185,000 145,538 0 0 -19,410 
			 Derry 195,000 76,685 15,000 300,496 190,239 
			 Down 303,542 256,137 155,214 70,000 212,131 
			 Dungannon 349,857 30,000 214,649 105,000 -174,935 
			 Fermanagh 319,934 143,591 130,000 316,441 -179,010 
			 Larne 162,900 170,000 0 0 -20,123 
			 Limavady 197,885 0 70,000 70,000 -352,075 
			 Lisburn 393,284 0 23,000 6,680 36,540 
			 Magherafelt 199,410 145,000 0 60,000 112,075 
			 Moyle 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 182,300 153,875 120,000 295,874 110,064 
			 Newtownabbey 219,000 0 80,000 247,795 -76,552 
			 North Down 0 15,000 0 81,225 30,000 
			 Omagh 528,645 135,000 70,000 332,490 -51,067 
			 Strabane 258,570 10,429 100,000 112,593 72,500

Marked Electoral Registers

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how the fee payable for delivery of the marked elector register following the 2005 General Election is calculated for each parliamentary constituency.

Harriet Harman: The fees structure for purchasing copies of the marked electoral registers for the 2005 General Election, have been set by the Clerk of the Crown, with agreement by HM Treasury, as required under Rule 57(3) of Schedule 1, The Representation of the People Act 1983.
	They stand at 35p per copied page of A4; an 8 handling charge: and, postage and packaging at cost. These fees exclude VAT.

Marked Electoral Registers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list what representations and complaints her Department has received since the general election in relation to the marked register service provided by Pickfords; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Seven written representations have been received by my Department. four of these were from MPs: George Madie MP, Lynne Featherstone MP, Sir George Young MP and Kevin Jones MP. Two were from political party constituency associations; Selby Conservatives and Poole Liberal Democrats. One representation was received from the electoral services manager for Mansfield, on behalf of a local political party constituency association.

Property Repossessions

Peter Robinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court repossessions of property there were in the last 15 years.

Bridget Prentice: The Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) carries out evictions of property on foot of repossession orders.
	Statistics on the number of evictions carried-out by the EJO have been collated since October 2001.
	
		Evictions carried out by Enforcement of Judgments Office
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001(31) 52 
			 2002 106 
			 2003 212 
			 2004 218 
			 2005(32) 177 
		
	
	(31) October to December.
	(32) Up to end of September.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed incapacity benefits in the Birkenhead area in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Number of incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in Birkenhead parliamentary constituency;at date shown
		
			 As at February: Number 
		
		
			 1997 9,500 
			 1998 8,900 
			 1999 8,900 
			 2000 8,300 
			 2001 8,600 
			 2002 8,400 
			 2003 8,000 
			 2004 8,200 
			 2005 8,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Claimants include all incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and national insurance credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample

Outsourced Employment Programmes

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the total management costs of each outsourced Government employment programme have been in each year since their creation;
	(2)  what the management costs of each outsourced Government employment programme has been as a percentage of total costs in each year since their creation.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not available.
	Information on total expenditure on our employment programmes is in the latest departmental report, which is available in the Library.

Diagnosis Treatment Centres

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has (a) made and (b) received of the productivity of diagnosis treatment centres.

Liam Byrne: The Department published Treatment Centres: Delivering Faster, Quality Care and Choice for NHS Patients, which includes a chapter on productivity, on 7 January 2005.
	The report found that, by investing in dedicated facilities such as treatment centres, it was possible to perform, for example, many more cataract procedures in a given day by concentrating on a single procedure in a modern, purpose-built unit.
	The report is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/05/24/04100524.pdf

Hospital Re-admissions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency re-admissions of people there have been in each quarter since 2001; and how many were of people aged (a) 0 to 10, (b) 10 to 18, (c) 18 to 65, (d) 65 to 75 and (e) 75 years and over.

Liam Byrne: The data are shown in the table. A detailed specification is available at www.nchod.nhs.uk.
	
		Emergency admissions within 28 days of dischargecalendar years 2001 to 2004national health service hospitals, England
		
			  Age 
			 Calendar year quarters 09 1017 1864 6574 75+ Total 
		
		
			 2001   
			 1 January-31 March 14,404 5,159 49,783 19,934 32,224 121,504 
			 1 April-30 June 12,589 5,146 52,301 19,845 32,219 122,100 
			 1 July-30 September 10,904 5,084 54,119 19,815 31,734 121,656 
			 1 October-31 December 13,472 4,794 46,114 17,296 28,056 109,732 
			
			 2002   
			 1 January-31 March 14,705 5,195 51,291 19,556 32,321 123,068 
			 1 April-30 June 12,631 5,559 54,200 20,056 33,586 126,032 
			 1 July-30 September 10,928 5,088 55,084 20,034 34,074 125,208 
			 1 October-31 December 13,418 4,611 45,652 17,493 29,802 110,976 
			
			 2003   
			 1 January-31 March 14,551 5,779 53,164 20,755 35,782 130,031 
			 1 April-30 June 12,335 5,620 57,004 21,502 36,656 133,117 
			 1 July-30 September 11,090 5,511 60,462 21,844 37,576 136,483 
			 1 October-31 December 13,888 5,112 50,393 19,073 33,613 122,079 
			
			 2004   
			 1 January-31 March 15,142 6,141 59,757 22,703 40,583 144,326 
			 1 April-30 June 13,181 6,165 63,495 23,219 41,423 147,483 
			 1 July-30 September 11,598 5,625 66,212 23,382 41,149 147,966 
			 1 October-31 December 14,266 5,093 55,386 19,407 34,770 128,922 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A finished consultant episode is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	2. Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of correct data.
	Source:
	HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Hospital Re-admissions

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of re-admission to hospitals were in (a) England and (b) Lancashire in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Re-admission data from 199899, which is calculated using the re-admission rate definition,
	emergency re-admissions to hospitals within 28 days of discharge from hospitals,
	is available at www.nchod.nhs.uk, where a full definition is given in the guidance notes.

Hospital Violence

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) consultants and (d) auxiliary staff have been victims of violence at work in the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust area in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 13 October 2005
	This information is not collected at trust level. National data is collected, but this is not broken down by trust. Such information may be held locally by the national health service trust in question, and the hon. Member may wish to approach the Chair of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust directly.

Medical Services (Dudley)

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has allocated for (a) hospital services, (b) general practitioner services and (c) dental services in (i) Dudley North and (ii) the Borough of Dudley in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information is available in the format requested.
	National health service allocations to Dudley Health Authority, Dudley Beacon and Castle Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Dudley South PCT for hospital services in each year since 199798 and for general practitioner services in each year since 200405 are shown in the tables.
	Funding for general practitioner services and general dental or high street dental services has historically, with some exceptions, been held centrally and not allocated to health authorities (HAs) or PCTs. Funding was demand led, with payments made in response to the services actually provided by general practitioners and dentists. Budgets for hospital and community dental services were set locally by HAs, or latterly PCTs, drawing on their total NHS allocations.
	Following the introduction of the new general practitioner contract, the Department made primary medical services allocations to PCTs in 200405 and 200506. This will become part of PCTs' overall allocations from 200607.
	With the introduction of local commissioning arrangements and a new dental contract for general dental services, the Department will make primary care dental allocations to PCTs from 200607.
	Table 1 shows the allocations made to Dudley HA in 199798 and 199899. The Department made allocations to health authorities from 199697 for hospital and community health services (HCHS).
	
		Table 1: HCHS allocations 199798 to 199899
		
			 Dudley HA  million 
		
		
			 199798 128.2 
			 199899 134.5 
		
	
	Note:
	It is not possible to separate the allocations for hospital services from the allocations for community health services.
	Table 2 shows the unified allocations made to Dudley HA between 19992000 to 200203. The Department made unified allocations to HAs from 19992000 covering HCHS, prescribing and general medical services cash limited.
	
		Table 2: Unified allocations 19992000 to 200203
		
			 Dudley HA  million 
		
		
			 19992000 183.0 
			 200001 200.5 
			 200102 218.8 
			 200203 241.7 
		
	
	Note:
	These services cannot be separately identified. These figures are not comparable with earlier years which cover HCHS only.
	Since 200304, the Department has made allocations to PCTs. Table 3 shows the revenue allocations made to Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT and Dudley South PCT for 200304 to 200506.
	
		Table 3: revenue allocations, 200304 to 200506  million
		
			  Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT  Dudley South PCT 
		
		
			 200304 94.6 167.2 
			 200405 104.0 183.3 
			 200506 114.4 200.2 
		
	
	The Department made separate primary medical services allocations to PCTs in 200405 and 200506. Table 4 shows the primary medical services allocations to Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT and Dudley South PCT in 200405 and 200506.
	
		Table 4: Primary medical services allocations 200405 and 200506  million
		
			  Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT  Dudley South PCT 
		
		
			 200405 8.2 15.4 
			 200506 8.6 16.4 
		
	
	Note:
	These allocations covered the bulk of the funding for the new general practitioner contract, with the remaining funding for quality being transferred to and then allocated by the NHS Bank.
	In February 2005, the Department announced revenue resource allocations to PCTs for 200607 and 200708. Table 5 shows the revenue allocations to Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT and Dudley South PCT for 200608.
	
		Table 5: Revenue resource allocations 200607 and 200708  million
		
			  Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT  Dudley South PCT 
		
		
			 200607 136.1 237.3 
			 200708 149.0 258.0 
		
	
	Note:
	These include primary medical services funding and are not comparable with earlier years.

Methadone

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs have been of prescribed methadone for each NHS trust in Greater London in each year since 2001.

Jane Kennedy: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, figures for London primary care trusts (PCTs) from 2001 to 2004, which are the latest available, are shown in the tables. These figures are not comparable as there have been changes to PCT configurations during this period. There were also small amounts of prescribing which could not be allocated to a specific PCT.
	Methadone can be prescribed for suppressing a cough, usually in terminal disease, for analgesia and for treating substance dependence. Figures for each of these are also shown in the tables.
	
		2001Net ingredient cost 
		
			  Cough suppressant Analgesia Substance dependence Grand total 
		
		
			 Prescriber name 0309010S0 0407020M0 0410000M0  
			 PCT 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5.22 21,077.58 23,656.19 44,738.99 
			 Barnet 20.97 12,052.70 9,843.57 21,917.24 
			 Bexley 17.78 261.57 1,698.34 1,977.69 
			 Brent Teaching 8.32 115,306.10 59,174.86 174,489.28 
			 Bromley 0 5,206.46 1,226.03 6,432.49 
			 Camden 14.7 6,897.06 37,495.96 44,407.72 
			 Chingford, Wanstead and Woodford 0 1,987.98 1,161.72 3,149.70 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 1.04 1,522.58 32,404.59 33,928.21 
			 Croydon 40.73 1,354.88 2,520.08 3,915.69 
			 Ealing 12.59 4,628.05 8,069.92 12,710.56 
			 Enfield 13.64 3,570.60 2,723.57 6,307.81 
			 Greenwich Teaching 5.25 2,505.40 16,132.86 18,643.51 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 34,522.81 29,725.94 64,248.75 
			 Haringey 7.98 2,085.02 12,941.50 15,034.50 
			 Harrow 6.76 9,848.99 20,089.90 29,945.65 
			 Havering 2.08 1,947.00 12,481.10 14,430.18 
			 Hillingdon 12.03 696.57 656.40 1,365.00 
			 Hounslow 0 60.75 3,042.44 3,103.19 
			 Islington 4.65 6,266.5 36,803.36 43,074.51 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 7.01 8,770.65 20,765.94 29,543.60 
			 Kingston 0 1,922.64 11,274.57 13,197.21 
			 Lambeth 0 7,760.51 79,688.02 87,448.53 
			 Lewisham 14.56 3,268.66 36,734.12 40,017.34 
			 Newham 0 566.42 24,741 .97 25,308.39 
			 Redbridge 16.69 1,235.79 1,326.23 2,578.71 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 0 409.22 6,697.05 7,106.27 
			 Southwark 21.13 8,147.70 20,995.84 29,164.67 
			 Sutton and Merton 13.64 5,494.06 872.02 6,379.72 
			 Tower Hamlets 11.07 8,339.35 55,558.90 63,909.32 
			 Waltham, Leyton and Leytonstone 5.2 359.87 1,931.86 2,296.93 
			 Wandsworth 14.61 7,293.75 3,226.66 10,535.02 
			 Westminster 10.61 17,171.61 57,972.13 75,154.35 
		
	
	
		2002Net ingredient cost 
		
			  Cough suppressant Analgesia Substance dependence Grand total 
		
		
			 Prescriber name 0309010S0 0407020M0 0410000M0  
			 PCT 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 20,884.24 25,922.01 46,806.25 
			 Barnet 0 11,352.63 8,811.65 20,164.28 
			 Bexley 2.1 320.54 1,897.8 2,220.44 
			 Brent Teaching 20.53 102,668.83 63,723.71 166,413.07 
			 Bromley 5.25 5,510.69 1,674.09 7,190.03 
			 Camden 10.63 6,788.7 35,077.44 41,876.77 
			 Chingford, Wanstead and Woodford 0 2,679.95 1,119.77 3,799.72 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 16.31 1,654.66 38,669.2 40,340.17 
			 Croydon 43.15 1,255.14 2,450.35 3,748.64 
			 Ealing 1.05 2,891.94 9,039.39 11,932.38 
			 Enfield 21.03 4,183.25 2,080.29 6,284.57 
			 Greenwich Teaching 6.3 3,462.67 14,344.62 17,813.59 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1.05 13,074.42 24,237.82 37,313.29 
			 Haringey 0 1,702.93 13,462.53 15,165.46 
			 Harrow 0 10,728.04 19,812.41 30,540.45 
			 Havering 0 1,458.89 12,698.78 14,157.67 
			 Hillingdon 22.62 572.21 236.22 831.05 
			 Hounslow 2.11 35.47 3,458.3 3,495.88 
			 Islington 14.72 5,073.73 40,688.79 45,777.24 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 6,458.5 15,582.88 22,041.38 
			 Kingston 6.32 1,069.61 9,280.85 10,356.78 
			 Lambeth 38.96 6,036.64 83,013.53 89,089.13 
			 Lewisham 5.8 495.74 33,407.54 33,909.08 
			 Newham 0 532.74 24,680.67 25,213.41 
			 Redbridge 10.52 1,236.67 1,186.1 2,433.29 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 7.36 974.05 6,650.53 7,631.94 
			 Southwark 14.71 7,121.64 18,270.64 25,406.99 
			 Sutton and Merton 7.89 6,758.15 896.82 7,662.86 
			 Tower Hamlets 1.05 4,654.57 57,214.34 61,869.96 
			 Waltham, Leyton and Leytonstone 0 484.98 911.11 1,396.09 
			 Wandsworth 27.4 7,473.66 2,642.99 10,144.05 
			 Westminster 4.21 21,500.18 76,190.57 97,694.96 
		
	
	
		2003Net ingredient cost 
		
			  Cough suppressant Analgesia Substance dependence Grand total 
		
		
			 Prescriber name 0309010S0 0407020M0 0410000M0  
			 PCT 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 25,720.82 23,495.97 49,216.79 
			 Barnet 71.66 10,961.75 9,515.63 20,549.04 
			 Bexley(33) 20.55 277.5 1,177.49 1,475.54 
			 Bexley Care Trust(33) 0 206.11 422.77 628.88 
			 Brent Teaching 22.14 87,830.96 71,269.33 159,122.43 
			 Bromley 8.42 3,211.79 1,438.17 4,658.38 
			 Camden 2.1 5,200.14 29,783.38 34,985.62 
			 Chingford, Wanstead and woodford(34) 2.64 729.51 289.11 1,021.26 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 0 1,424.91 38,069.73 39,494.64 
			 Croydon 45.39 1,306.1 2,842.61 4,194.1 
			 Ealing 1.58 2,031.15 9,558.08 11,590.81 
			 Enfield 12.76 3,115.39 2,593.14 5,721.29 
			 Greenwich Teaching 0 3,501.67 12,485.96 15,987.63 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 7,892.56 22,682.29 30,574.85 
			 Haringey 5.27 1,399.4 12,471.04 13,875.71 
			 Harrow 6.34 8,336.99 20,207.02 28,550.35 
			 Havering 33.71 429.01 15,189.4 15,652.12 
			 Hillingdon 10.54 467.6 620.3 1,098.44 
			 Hounslow 0 47.3 2,814.36 2,861.66 
			 Islington 27.38 4,584.73 44,434.43 49,046.54 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 6,547.65 22,093.46 28,641.11 
			 Kingston 0 364.47 8,507.23 8,871.7 
			 Lambeth 57.32 6,001.38 94,585.87 100,644.57 
			 Lewisham 3.16 708.94 31,251.76 31,963.86 
			 Newham 2.11 770.24 22,433.84 23,206.19 
			 Redbridge 8.43 1,618.67 1,414.34 3,041.44 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 15.76 2,003.26 8,859.84 10,878.86 
			 Southwark 8.02 7,758.46 19,802.77 27,569.25 
			 Sutton and Merton 20.03 6,564.47 872.84 7,457.34 
			 Tower Hamlets 5.27 4,077.15 62,874.97 66,957.39 
			 Waltham Forest(34) 1.05 568.67 1,315.16 1,884.88 
			 Waltham, Leyton and Leytonstone(34) 0 133.56 173.18 306.74 
			 Wandsworth 8.43 7,563.94 5,140.56 12,712.93 
			 Westminster 1.05 23,523.52 92,669.4 116,193.97 
		
	
	(33) In October 2003 Bexley PCT became Bexley Care Trust.
	(34) In April 2003 the three PCTs, Redbridge, Waltham and Chingford, merged to form Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
	
		2004Net ingredient cost 
		
			  Cough suppressant Analgesia Substance dependence Grand total 
		
		
			 Prescriber name 0309010S0 0407020M0 0410000M0  
			 PCT 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3.16 17,981.04 23,158.83 41,143.03 
			 Barnet 0 8,482.06 11,926.26 20,408.32 
			 Bexley Care Trust 23.1 249.26 978.84 1,251.2 
			 Brent Teaching 8.42 123,041.96 74,523.11 197,573.49 
			 Bromley 10.5 3,071.54 1,135.68 4,217.72 
			 Camden 0 4,311.48 28,187.31 32,498.79 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 0.53 2,057.32 47,714.69 49,772.54 
			 Croydon 14.73 1,438.06 3,553.17 5,005.96 
			 Ealing 3.16 2,187.05 15,216.96 17,407.17 
			 Enfield 21.05 1,078.55 2,711.58 3,811.18 
			 Greenwich Teaching 17.01 4,504.8 10,643.5 15,165.31 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 9,005.75 28,204 37,209.75 
			 Haringey 0 1,474.85 11,634.02 13,108.87 
			 Harrow 0 6,142.04 22,921.46 29,063.5 
			 Havering 31.56 450.38 13,244.76 13,726.7 
			 Hillingdon 0 811.18 2,188.7 2,999.88 
			 Hounslow 5.27 30.51 9,647.03 9,682.81 
			 Islington 19.99 4,446.8 45,748.24 50,215.03 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 5,497.62 21,759.26 27,256.88 
			 Kingston 10.54 332.64 7,903.64 8,246.82 
			 Lambeth 6.31 6,883.66 92,719.24 99,609.21 
			 Lewisham 0 956.32 28,919.21 29,875.53 
			 Newham 0 1,006.19 20,405.26 21,411.45 
			 Redbridge 35.84 1,627.32 1,288.38 2,951.54 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 0 3,981.46 11,073.32 15,054.78 
			 Southwark 11.55 6,864.83 24,955.85 31,832.23 
			 Sutton and Merton 24.24 4,403.28 1,010.42 5,437.94 
			 Tower Hamlets 12.63 4,446.28 64,619.93 69,078.84 
			 Waltham Forest 0 322.36 1,503.11 1,825.47 
			 Wandsworth 0 3,802.89 5,822.65 9,625.54 
			 Westminster 0 21,403 102,886.17 124,289.17

NHS Direct

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the call capacity for NHS Direct has been in each year since it was established; and what the planned call capacity of NHS Direct is in each year until 2010.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 98485W. It is currently forecast that NHS Direct will be answering over eight million calls per year by the end of March 2006. There is no planned call capacity projection beyond 2006.

NHS Trusts

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports she has received regarding prospective deficits in NHS trusts in Oxfordshire; and what action her Department has taken to address them.

Caroline Flint: Like all strategic heath authorities (SHAs), Thames Valley provides regular financial reports to the Department. Thames Valley SHA is responsible for delivering overall financial balance for their local health communities, and works with Oxfordshire trusts to bring the position as close as possible to financial balance.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, columns 798800W, on the private finance initiative, what total value of assets and liabilities for each of the listed private finance initiatives and public private partnerships is recorded on the Government Balance Sheet; what proportion of assets and liabilities is listed; what the accounting treatment is for assets and liabilities; and whether it is compatible with (a) generally-accepted accounting practices and (b) international financial reporting standards.

Liam Byrne: National health service accountants and their auditors, who are independent, determine the correct accounting treatment of their organisations' private finance initiative (PFI)/public-private partnership deals by applying independently set United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (UKGAAP).
	In particular, accountants are required to apply FRS5, Reporting the Substance of Transactions and SSAP21, Leases and Hire Purchase Contracts, and are directed to these standards by chapter eight of the NHS capital accounting manual. Their conclusions are checked through the mandatory independent audit of trust and primary care trust (PCT) financial statements.
	National accounts, upon which the fiscal rules are judged, follow the same UKGAAP accounting treatment. Where an asset is provided under a contract that is judged as being off-balance sheet (for example, through a PFI contract or operating lease) then the capital value is not included in measures of public spending but the annual payments do score as public expenditure.
	International accounting standards are not currently applicable to the UK public sector, though the financial reporting advisory board is keeping this position under review.
	The answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, columns 798800W, listed schemes of three different types; PFI, NHS local improvement finance trust (LIFT) and independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs), each being a very different type of transaction.
	PFI schemes
	On the list, five schemes are judged as being on-balance sheet and will appear on their trusts' balance sheets. Individual NHS trust accounts are not currently consolidated within the Department's resource accounts. NHS trust accounts are, however, brought together in the NHS trust summarised account, which is audited and published by the National Audit Office.
	The amounts capitalised are listed in the table. On the opposite side of each trust's balance sheet, there is a corresponding creditor representing amounts expected to be payable in the future.
	
		
			 Commissioning body Source Capital value on balance sheet (000) 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 200405 accounts 44,562 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 200405 accounts 114,909 
			 Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup NHS  Trust 200405 accounts 4,500 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS  Trust Estimated 42,473 
			 Oxleas NHS Trust 200405 accounts 17,612 
		
	
	NHS LIFT schemes
	In NHS LIFT schemes, facilities to be made available to the NHS are owned by a local LIFT company and, in accordance with the accounting standards, NHS accountants and their independent auditors treat them as off balance sheet.
	The Department does, however, own a small amount of equity in local LIFT companies through PCTs. Amounts of equity listed in PCTs' accounts are listed in the table. In this case, the corresponding creditor is to the general fund.
	
		
			  PCTs owning equity Amount (000) 
		
		
			 Operational NHS LIFT schemes   
			 Barnsley Barnsley PCT 143 
			
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 606 
			
			 Norfolk North Norfolk PCT 014 
			  Southern Norfolk PCT 014 
			  West Norfolk PCT 014 
			
			 Newcastle and North Tyne Newcastle PCT 136 
			  North Tyneside PCT 097 
			
			 East Lancashire Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 353 
			  Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 352 
			  Blackburn and Darwen PCT 352 
			
			 Rowley Regis and Tipton PCT  102 
			
			 Wednesbury and West Bromwich PCT  102 
			
			 Oldbury and Smethwick PCT  102 
			
			 Barking and Havering Barking and Dagenham PCT 202 
			  Havering PCT 202 
			
			 Liverpool and Sefton South Sefton PCT 044 
			  North Liverpool PCT 050 
			  South Liverpool PCT 050 
			  Central Liverpool PCT 050 
			
			 NHS LIFT schemes under construction   
			 Camden and Islington Camden PCT 031 
			  Islington PCT 092 
			
			 Manchester, Salford and Trafford Salford PCT 050 
			  South Manchester PCT 264 
			  Trafford North PCT 088 
			
			 Birmingham and Solihull Eastern Birmingham PCT 039 
			  Heart of Birmingham PCT 040 
			  North Birmingham PCT 039 
			  South Birmingham PCT 040 
			  Solihull PCT 042 
			 Bradford Bradford City PCT 112 
			  Airedale PCT 112 
			  Bradford South and West PCT 112 
			
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly West of Cornwall PCT 001 
			  Central Cornwall PCT 041 
			  North and East Cornwall PCT 047 
			
			 Hull East Hull PCT 222 
			  West Hull PCT 239 
			
			 Leicester City Leicester City West PCT 136 
			  Eastern Leicester PCT 136 
			
			 North Staffordshire North Stoke PCT 050 
			  South Stoke PCT 087 
			  Staffs Moorlands PCT 003 
			  Newcastle-under-Lyme 003 
			
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest Redbridge PCT 210 
			  Waltham Forest PCT 210 
			
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Haringey PCT 007 
			  Enfield PCT 001 
			  Barnet PCT 000 
			
			 Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Brent PCT 074 
			  Hillingdon PCT 074 
			
			 Bristol Bristol South and West PCT 155 
			  Bristol North PCT 155 
			
			 Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich Bromley PCT 146 
			  Bexley PCT 146 
			  Greenwich PCT 170 
			
			 Colchester and Tendring Colchester PCT 175 
			  Tendring PCT 175 
			
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Ealing PCT 213 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 213 
			  Hounslow PCT 212 
			
			 East Hampshire, Fareham and Gosport East Hampshire PCT 091 
			  Fareham and Gosport PCT 091 
			
			 Greater Nottingham Gedling PCT 186 
			  Nottingham PCT 221 
			  Broxtowe and Hucknall PCT 283 
			  Rushcliffe PCT 001 
			
			 Leeds Leeds West PCT 042 
			  Leeds North West PCT 042 
			  Leeds North East PCT 042 
			  East Leeds PCT 045 
			  South Leeds PCT 042 
			
			 Oldham Oldham PCT 057 
			
			 Oxford City Oxford PCT 410 
			
			 Plymouth Plymouth PCT 392 
			
			 Southern Derbyshire Derby Dales and South Derbyshire PCT 070 
			  Amber Valley PCT 070 
			  Erewash PCT 070 
			  Greater Derby PCT 070 
			  Central Derby PCT 070 
			
			 St. Helens and Knowsley St. Helens PCT 090 
			  Knowsley PCT 090 
			  Halton PCT 090 
			  Warrington PCT 096 
			 Tees Valley Middlesbrough PCT 001 
			  Hartlepool PCT 001 
			  North Tees PCT 123 
			  Durham Dales PCT 001 
			
			 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton PCT 184 
			  Walsall PCT 115 
		
	
	ISTCs
	ISTC contracts principally involve the provision of health services to NHS patients, with the capital investment being largely incidental.
	The estimated capital costs of the schemes listed in the answer of 20 June sum to around 228 million and are funded by the private sector. Under the relevant accounting standards, these schemes are generally viewed as on-balance sheet. Capital costs will therefore appear as assets on the commissioning authorities' balance sheets, with a corresponding creditor representing amounts that may become due to the private sector.

Protection of Vulnerable People

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) referrals, (b) provisional listings and (c) confirmed listings have been made to the (i) Protection of Children Act and (ii) Protection of Vulnerable Adults list since it was established.

Liam Byrne: The figures for referrals, provisional listings and confirmed listings made to the protection of vulnerable adults (POVA) since they were established are shown in the table. Responsibility for referrals to the Protection of Children Act list rests with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
	
		
			  POVA 
		
		
			 Number of referrals 2,520 
			   
			 Provisional listings 710 
			 Of which:  
			 Primary(35) 642 
			 Secondary(36) 68 
			   
			 Confirmed listings 197 
			 Of which:  
			 Primary(35) 97 
			 Secondary(36) 100 
		
	
	(35) Primary listings are those made direct to the POVA list.
	(36) Secondary listings are cross-referrals from the Protection of Children Act list to the POVA list.
	Note:
	As at 31 August 2005
	818 cases have been closed either because the referral was inappropriate, or because they did not meet the criteria for listing.
	795 cases are being actively considered for listing.

Energy Prices

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the change in energy prices has been in (a) the UK and (b) the rest of the EU in each of the last 10 years; on factors account for those changes; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Energy prices for the EU15 and the UK in cash terms for the last 10 years is as follows.
	
		Industrial and domestic gas and electricity prices in the UK and the EU15 19952004 Pence per kWh(38)
		
			 Including taxes(37) 
			  Industrial Electricity Industrial Gas Domestic Electricity Domestic Gas 
			  UK Rest of EU Median(39) UK Rest of EU Median(39) UK Rest of EU Median (39) UK Rest of EU Median(39) 
		
		
			 1995 4.34 4.73 0.69 0.88 8.06 10.65 1.79 2.60 
			 1996 4.19 4.67 0.51 0.93 8.04 10.88 1.80 2.58 
			 1997 3.95 3.87 0.54 0.84 7.64 8.86 1.78 2.24 
			 1998 3.92 3.74 0.56 0.77 7.29 9.30 1.72 2.14 
			 1999 3.94 3.51 0.57 0.74 7.20 8.31 1.71 2.04 
			 2000 3.66 2.99 0.61 0.98 7.06 7.90 1.66 2.04 
			 2001 3.53 3.56 0.86 1.08 6.99 7.85 1.71 2.20 
			 2002 3.46 3.24 0.84 1.04 7.02 8.03 1.82 2.18 
			 2003 3.35 3.99 0.87 1.20 7.09 8.81 1.85 2.64 
			 2004 3.66 5.07 0.95 1.25 7.52 9.57 1.99 2.56 
			 Difference 19952004 per cent. -15.7 +7.2 +37.7 +42.9 -6.7 -10.1 +11.2 -1.5 
		
	
	(37) Prices include all taxes where not refundable on purchase
	(38) Prices converted to pounds sterling using annual average exchange rates
	(39) Based on the remaining 14 EU member countries excluding accession countries.
	Note:
	Where national prices are not available, data for the following cities have been used instead: Austria: Vienna, France: Paris, Germany: Dusseldorf, Greece: Athens, Ireland: Dublin, Netherlands: Rotterdam, Portugal: Lisbon, Spain: Madrid
	Source:
	Derived from the International Energy Agency publication, Energy Prices and Taxes Q2 2005

Energy Research

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Government has provided for research into non-hydrocarbon energies, broken down by type, since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given on 1 September 2005, Official Report, column 2263W to the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin).

Ethanol

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the contribution which the production of ethanol can make to meeting UK energy requirements in the context of a sustained higher price for oil.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 October 2005
	The department has, alongside other government departments, been assessing the feasibility of options to introduce bioethanol as a transport fuel extender in the context of meeting the requirements of the EU biofuels directive, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and more general security of fuel supply. The above study will feed into the government's Climate Change Program Review due to report by year end.

Gas-powered Energy

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the operational liquid natural gas importation terminals in the UK; and what the capacity of each is.

Malcolm Wicks: A liquid natural gas import terminal at the Isle of Grain, on the Thames Estuary, was commissioned this summer; it has the capacity to import approximately 13 mcm/day. Two further LNG import terminals are under development at Milford Haven; details are to be found in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain, published in July 2005, and available on the DTI web-site at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/publications/policy/sec_supply_first_report.pdf.

Gas-powered Energy

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the required liquid natural gas importation capacity for the UK over the next (a) five and (b) 15 years.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK will require increasing amounts of imported gas as production form the North Sea declines. However, it a commercial matter for individual companies to decide whether to import gas through liquefied natural gas import terminals or through pipelines.
	The Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group monitors predicted supply and demand for gas up to 2013. This is reported in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain, published in July 2005. It is available on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energv/publications/policy/sec_supply_first_report;pdf.

North Sea Energy Industry

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being taken to extend oil and gas production in the North Sea beyond 2020.

Malcolm Wicks: We are implementing a range of initiatives to maintain North Sea investment and activity and prolong the life of the UK Continental Shelf to 2020 and beyond, many of these in co-operation with PILOT, the oil and gas task force. Initiatives currently include enhancing the licensing regime, improving the commercial climate and access to infrastructure, freeing up fallow acreage, and finding ways to maximise production from existing brown fields. We are seeing successes, but must not be complacent. We will therefore continue to work with the industry to find ways to meet all the challenges which emerge as the province continues to mature.

Nuclear Energy

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department spent on research into nuclear energy technologies in (a) 2005 and (b) each of the previous five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The expenditure on nuclear energy technology research from 1999 to 2005 is set out in the tables as follows.
	Nuclear spend 200005 fission and fusion RD
	Expenditure by the EPSRC on nuclear fission research are given in the table as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Nuclear fission ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 62,000 
			 200001 128,000 
			 200102 325,000 
			 200203 307,000 
			 200304 212,000 
			 200405 125,000 
		
	
	Figures for direct Government expenditure (but not including spending by the Research Councils) on nuclear fission are given in the table as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Nuclear fission ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 2.5 
			 200001 0 
			 200102 2 
			 200203 2.1 
			 200304 2.1 
			 200405 2.2 
		
	
	Note:
	Expenditure in support of Meteorological Office emergency response arrangements currently accounts for approximately 2.1 million.
	Figures for nuclear fusion RD are given in the table as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Nuclear fusion ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 14.3 
			 200001 17.0 
			 200102 14.4 
			 200203 14.6 
			 200304 15.6 
			 200405 19.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures from 19992000 to 200102 are from the Fusion Programme Letter funded by DTI and for 200203 and 200304 are the allocations from OST and EPSRC.
	2. The peak in 200001 were due to changes in invoicing arrangements.
	3. The UK's indirect contribution to the European fusion programme, via central European Union funding for the EURATOM Framework Programme, is excluded.

Patent Applications

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on patent applications that may threaten national security.

Alan Johnson: Patents legislation allows Government to withhold from publication any patent application that it considers contains information which might be prejudicial to national security or public safety.

Renewable Energy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his policy is on the creation of a grid to link different countries in respect of the generation of offshore renewable energy.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI commissioned a report looking at the most economic cable connections for the Round 2 offshore wind farm projects planned around the coast of England and Wales to inform the joint DTI/Ofgem consultation document looking at the high level regulatory options for offshore transmissionRegulation of Offshore Electricity, which is available in the Libraries of the House.
	That study concluded that direct connections to shore for single operators or groups of operators were the cheapest option. We have no policy for the creation of a grid linking those projects with other European countries. That is not to say that in the future as this sector develops it is not an idea that may become attractive.

Renewable Energy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of energy in each EU country was derived from renewable energy sources in the last period for which figures are available; and what targets each EU country has set for future supplies from such sources.

Malcolm Wicks: The most up-to-date overview of the percentages of energy generated from renewable sources in EU countries (and beyond) is available from an IEA publication called Renewables Information 2005. A summary of the policies and future targets for renewables in EU countries (and others) is available in a separate IEA publication; Renewable Energy: Market and Policy Trends in IEA countries, published in 2004. Both publications are available from the IEA website: www.iea.org.

Renewables Obligation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the change in the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions in each of the first two years of operation of the renewables obligation; and what the cost implications are.

Malcolm Wicks: Providing 10 per cent. of electricity consumption from renewable energy would save about 2.5 million tonnes of carbon per year in 2010 if the equivalent were generated from gas. This equates to a saving of 1.5 per cent. on 1990 emission levels.
	In 2002 the total carbon dioxide emissions for the UK were 152.7 million tonnes of which 44.8 million tonnes was from power stations, in 2003, 156.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted, of which power stations accounted for 47.6 million tonnes and in 2004 the figure was 158.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted of which 47 million tonnes came from power stations.
	On the cost implications, the regulatory impact assessment issued alongside the RO Order predicated that in 201011 the percentage impact on average electricity prices compared to 1999 actual levels would be approximately 4.4 per cent. Ofgem estimated, within their Ofgem's Domestic Competitive Market Review 2004, that the current cost of the RO accounts for 2 per cent. of the domestic debit electricity bill.

Strategic Reserve

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the current level of (a) crude oil and (b) products in the Strategic Reserve is; and what (i) releases and (ii) acquisitions have been made in each month in 2005.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK is obliged as a member state of the European Union to hold emergency stocks of oil and as a member of the International Energy Agency to take part in any collective response to a major international supply disruption. The UK meets these international obligations by imposing obligations on commercial companies who hold these stocks as part of their normal operating stocks, rather than by maintaining a Strategic Reserve.
	The UK is currently required to hold stock equivalent to 67.5 days' annual consumption. At the end of July 2005, the UK held stock equal to 78 days' supply, or about 13 million tonnes. 55 per cent. of this was held as crude oil, the rest as products.
	In the course of September 2005, UK companies, in response to the International Energy Agency's call for a release of stocks to help the international market respond to the disruption caused by Hurricane Katrina, released some 400,000 tonnes onto the market. Of this, about 75 per cent. was products, and about 25 per cent. crude oil. They did this while at the same time both increasing exports of gasoline, and keeping the UK market supplied.

Telecommunications

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what plans Ofcom has to auction telecommunications licences for the 1.78 GHz and 1.88 GHz bands; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number and size of masts required for DVB-H broadcasts to mobile phones;
	(3)  what plans the Government have to allocate radio spectrum for DVB-H broadcasts to mobile phones;
	(4)  what radio frequencies are used by (a) 2G, (b) 2.5G, (c) 3G, (d) Wifi and (e) WiMax communications equipment.

Alun Michael: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom is the independent regulator for the communications sector, deriving its main powers and duties directly from statute rather than by delegation from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, and accountable to Parliament in its own right. Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member and to send me a copy of his response. Copies of the chief executive's letter will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

UK-Europe Gas Interconnector

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the UK daily natural gas import capacity via pipeline or LNG was during the winter of 200405; and what the estimated import capacity for the coming winter of 200506 is.

Malcolm Wicks: Total import capacity for winter 200405 was 60mcm/d. For the winter 200506 it is estimated at 95mcm/d. Further information, in particular concerning the likely evolution of UKCS gas production levels and our gas import capability, can be found in the Secretary of State's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain. This was published in July 2005, and is available on the DTI website, at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/publications/policy/sec_supply_first_report.pdf.

Websites

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the websites that come under his Department's responsibility; what the cost was of each in the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to each site in that year.

Alan Johnson: Information about the Department's websites and their cost is not held centrally and to gather it would involve disproportionate cost. The support cost for the main departmental website (www.dti.gov.uk) is included in the overall service charge paid monthly under the IT service contract in place since 1 April 1999. There is no separation of website costs in this charge.
	Visitors to the main DTI website have been monitored on a consistent basis since August 2004. In the year September 2004 to August 2005, we recorded six million unique visitors and 33.4 million page impressions.

Wind Farms

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what plans his Department has for (a) visits to the area affected by the Teesside off-shore windfarm and (b) discussions with people likely to be affected by the proposed windfarm;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to ensure transparency in the decision-making process for the Teesside off-shore windfarm; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how local views will be taken into account in the planning process for the Teesside off-shore windfarm;
	(4)  what criteria his Department will use to balance the need for renewable energy with (a) economic, (b) environmental and (c) amenity effects of the proposed windfarm in Teesside.

Malcolm Wicks: In taking a decision on an application for consent under section 36 of the Electricity 1989, Ministers will balance the need to meet the Government's targets for renewable energy generation, and thereby reduce carbon emission, against potential local impacts. It is not possible to specify how impacts will be taken into account in individual cases as the implications of different schemes will vary from one project to another. However, the consents process involves public consultation and all representations will be fully considered in deciding whether to grant consent for the project, to turn down the consent request or hold a public inquiry.
	Where relevant, measures to mitigate impacts will also be considered and can be translated into consent conditions. The Department has funded research and produced guidance on the impacts of offshore wind farms and mitigation measures that might be put in place. The determination of a consent application is communicated to the applicant by way of a decision letter. The letter sets out the rationale for the determination and will include assessments of how any objections to the application have been considered. The letter will also be sent to those people and organisations that have made representations during the application process and will be made available more widely on request.
	Officials from the Department of Trade and Industry will visit the Redcar area as part of the consideration of the consent application for the Teesside offshore wind farm. Meetings with representatives of local interest groups and other stakeholders will form part of the visit.

Affordable Housing

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the affordable housing units to be built or procured through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme in the East Midlands Region in (a) 200506, (b) 200607 and (c) 200708 will be (i) mixed funded social rented housing, (ii) temporary social rented housing, (iii) homebuy general market purchase, (iv) homebuy general new build, (v) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (vi) miscellaneous works to RSL stock, (vii) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (viii) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (ix) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (x) right to acquire, (xi) voluntary purchase grant, (xii) do-it-yourself shared ownership, (xiii) temporary intermediate and (xiv) market rent housing; and how much will be spent on each category in each year.

Yvette Cooper: The following tables show the latest estimated completions and expenditure in the East Midlands region for 200506 through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme, for categories from (i) to (xiv). Funding and completions are not directly comparable, as funding will relate to projects running, not necessarily units completed, in any one year.
	
		Estimated completions in East Midlands region in 200506
		
			   Units 
		
		
			 i Mixed Funded Social Rent 1,181 
			 ii Temporary Social Rent 17 
			 iii Homebuy Market Purchase 274 
			 iv Homebuy New Build 0 
			 v Mixed Funded for Sale 788 
			 vi Miscellaneous works to RSL stock 0 
			 vii Reimprovements to RSL rented stock 2 
			 viii Works only rehabilitation of RSL rented stock 0 
			 ix Works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for Sale 0 
			 x Right to Acquire 13 
			 xi Voluntary Purchase Grant 12 
			 xii Do-it-yourself-shared Ownership 0 
			 xiii Temporary intermediate 0 
			 xiv Market rent housing 0 
		
	
	
		Estimated expenditure in East Midlands region in 200506
		
			million 
		
		
			 i Mixed Funded Social Rent 45.472 
			 ii Temporary Social Rent 0.147 
			 iii Homebuy Market Purchase 8.172 
			 iv Homebuy New Build 0.000 
			 v Mixed Funded for Sale 12.067 
			 vi Miscellaneous works to RSL stock 0.000 
			 vii Reimprovements to RSL rented stock 0.050 
			 viii Works only rehabilitation of RSL rented stock 0.000 
			 ix Works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for Sale 0.000 
			 x Right to Acquire 0.114 
			 xi Voluntary Purchase Grant 0.110 
			 xii Do-it-yourself-shared Ownership 0.000 
			 xiii Temporary intermediate 0.000 
			 xiv Market rent housing 0.000 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation Information Management System as at 12 October 2005.
	For 200607 and 200708 Regional Housing Boards have made recommendations to Ministers for the allocation of Regional Housing Pots funds. The East Midlands Regional Housing Board has recommended that from their allocation of 284 million for the two years a total of 166 million should be allocated to the provision of affordable housing. However, the exact distribution of funding between programmes for 200608 will not be known until the completion of the Housing Corporation's bidding process.
	In August 2005 the Housing Corporation launched the bidding round for the 200608 Affordable Housing Programme (AHP). This invited both registered social landlords and non-registered bodies to apply for funds to develop affordable housing based on priorities set by the Regional Housing Boards. The outcome of this bidding round will not be known until early in 2006.

Building Regulations

Andrew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reviews he has undertaken of compliance with Part M of the building regulations.

Yvette Cooper: An early assessment was made in late 2000 of the effect of the 1999 amendment to Part M, which introduced controls for the first time on access to housing. The results were inconclusive as insufficient numbers of dwellings needing to comply with the new requirements had by then been built. A further study commenced in January 2005 and is due to report towards the end of October 2005. No assessment has yet been made of compliance with the requirements for non-domestic buildings introduced on 1 May 2004.

Business Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the net yield from business rates after reliefs in England was in each year since 1997; and what the estimated figure is for 200506.

Phil Woolas: The figures requested are tabled as follows.
	
		
			  million 
			  Net rate yields 
			  Local lists Central list CILOR(40) Total 
		
		
			 199798 11,617 1,207 469 13,293 
			 199899 11,919 1,273 440 13,632 
			 19992000 12,383 1,319 332 14,034 
			 200001 13,698 868 9 14,575 
			 200102 14,778 1,048 12 15,838 
			 200203 15,220 1,044 8 16,272 
			 200304 15,464 1,029 10 16,503 
			 200405(41) 15,853 1,037 10 16,900 
			 200506(41) 16,505 1,102 11 17,618 
		
	
	(40) Contribution in lieu of rates for Crown properties. Most Crown properties transferred to local lists with effect from 200001.
	(41) Estimates.
	Source:
	NNDR1 and NNDR3 returns; central government information on central and Crown lists.

Empty Homes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much an owner of a property will receive from a local authority for their property that has been rented out to a third party under an empty dwelling management order.

Yvette Cooper: Any rent or other payment which the authority collects or recovers from persons occupying or having the right to occupy may be used to meet expenditure reasonably incurred and any compensation payable to a third party under the order. The authority is obliged to pay the relevant proprietor any amount of rents or other payments that remain after deduction of such expenditure. It is obliged to keep full accounts of its income and expenditure in respect of the dwelling and allow access by anyone with an estate or interest in the dwelling access to those accounts.

Home Ownership

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government has made of the number of people in England who have three or more homes.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Homelessness

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes have been made to the presentation of homelessness statistics in his departmental press releases and statistical bulletins in the last six months.

Yvette Cooper: Summary information about local authorities' activities under the homelessness legislation in England is published in quarterly National Statistics Releases, on pre-announced publication dates.
	In the Sustainable CommunitiesHomes for All strategy published in January this year there was a commitment that . . . we will be reviewing the way we collect homelessness statistics, to improve our understanding of who is homeless and the circumstances in which they are living. This included improving the presentation of the information on statutory homelessness, and the layout of the quarterly release was revised using charts and maps to more clearly present the information, and to incorporate additional information (such as length of time spent in temporary accommodation) which had been collected but not previously published.
	The revised format was then issued for public consultation in April, inviting comments on the new layout.
	The Statistical Release published on 13 June, covering statistics for the first quarter of 2005, was the first to be produced using the new format. Copies of these and previous releases are available on the ODPM website and also in the Library of the House.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his housing task force provides advice to local authorities who retain their own housing stock.

Yvette Cooper: Yes.

Parking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes the Government have made to planning guidance and regulations on the (a) provision of parking spaces and (b) level of parking charges since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Planning guidance on residential parking spaces is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (PPG3), published in March 2000. PPG3 advises local authorities that car parking standards that result, on average, in development with more than 1.5 off-street car parking spaces per dwelling are unlikely to reflect the Government's emphasis on securing sustainable residential environments. This does not mean we expect all dwellings in all developments to have 1.5 parking spaces. But we do expect local authorities to anticipate the pattern of parking needs in their area and draw up policies for car parking provision that will deliver the approach set out in PPG3.
	Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG 13) was published in March 2001. PPG13 notes that reducing the amount of parking in new development (and in the expansion and change of use in existing development) is essential, as part of a package of planning and transport measures, to promote sustainable travel choices. Annex D of PPG13 sets out national maximum parking standards for a range of major developments. Local authorities may adopt more rigorous standards subject to the advice in PPG13.
	The Government does not regulate the level of parking charges. The Secretary of State for Transport does, however, give guidance to local authorities outside London with Decriminalised Parking Enforcement powers on the setting of parking charges. This guidance is set out in paragraphs 4.94.14 of Local Authority Circular 1/95Guidance on Decriminalised Parking Enforcement outside London.
	Inside London, it is the Mayor who issues guidance to local authorities on parking matters.

Pathfinder Areas

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated total public expenditure is in each of the Pathfinder areas for each year of the programme.

Yvette Cooper: Information on total public expenditure in Pathfinder areas is not available. Total payments to the housing market renewal pathfinders, including housing market renewal funding, separate early action funding from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and payments from the capital modernisation fund are shown in the table:
	
		
			million 
			 Pathfinder 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Birmingham Sandwell 6.6 13.4 
			 East Lancashire 6. 6 22.8 
			 Hull and East Riding 0 2.6 
			 Manchester Salford 20 44 
			 Merseyside 6.6 34.3 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 9.6 28 
			 North Staffordshire 6.6 7 
			 Oldham Rochdale 6.6 17.1 
			 South Yorkshire 6.6 27.4 
			 Total 69.2 196.6

Pathfinder Areas

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes are planned to be demolished in each of the Pathfinder project areas for each year of the programme.

Yvette Cooper: Funding and planned outputs have been agreed with Pathfinders for the period up to March 2006. In total, the programme is planned to deliver 21,000 refurbished homes, 3,000 new homes and 10,000 demolitions by that date.
	Actual demolitions for 200405 and expected figures for 200506 are:
	
		
			  Demolitions funded by housing market renewal grant 
			 Pathfinder Actual 200405 Estimate 200506 
		
		
			 Birmingham Sandwell 71 619 
			 East Lancashire 397 393 
			 Hull and East Riding 0 44 
			 Manchester Salford 677 1,023 
			 Merseyside 122 2,578 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 409 1,591 
			 North Staffordshire 234 n/a 
			 Oldham Rochdale 78 222 
			 South Yorkshire 1,097 503 
		
	
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be agreeing funding and outputs for the next two financial years towards the end of this year and early next year.

Regional Chambers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of central government funding to each regional chamber in each year since their creation was; and what the estimated figures for (a) 200506 and (b) 200607 are.

Yvette Cooper: Past and current grants made by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) are as follows.
	
		
			   
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 North East 500,000 600,000 1,408,000 1,708,000 1,708,000 
			 North West 500.000 600,000 1,837,000 2,536,000 2,536,000 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 500,000 600,000 1,655,000 1,923,000 1,923,000 
			 West Midlands 500,000 600,000 1,671,000 2,071,000 2,071,000 
			 East Midlands 500,000 600,000 1,631,000 2,056,000 2,056,000 
			 East 500,000 600,000 1,874,000 2,112,000 2,112,000 
			 South East 500,000 600,000 2,186,000 3,280,000 3,280,000 
			 South West 500,000 600,000 1,613,000 2,101,000 2,101,000 
			 English Regions Network 100,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 
			 Total 4,100,000 5,000,000 14,075,000 17,987,000 17,987,000 
		
	
	The grant supports the assemblies in the performance of their designated functions to scrutinise the work of the Regional Development Agencies; fulfil their regional planning responsibilities; and for the development of their strategic regional role.
	The increase in funding from 200304 was granted in recognition of the statutory responsibilities that were placed on them as regional planning bodies by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
	The overall ODPM grant available to regional assemblies is set to increase to 19 million in 200607 but as yet no decision has been made on how it will be allocated.

Small Business Rate Relief

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether small business rate relief is available in relation to the levy charged by business improvement districts.

Phil Woolas: No. Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are business-led initiatives to deliver improvements in a defined business area. It is the businesses themselves who decide on the amount of and the arrangements for paying the levy and who vote in a ballot on whether or not a proposed scheme should go ahead. However, many BID proposals exclude smaller properties from the BID levy or offer special terms for small properties.

Telecommunication Masts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what planning controls apply to (a) Network Rail telecommunication masts and (b) standard mobile phone masts.

Yvette Cooper: Class A of Part 17 of the GPDO, permits development by a railway undertaker on its operational land required in connection with the movement of traffic by rail, this permission includes telecommunication masts but only for the communications system for railways (GSM-R).
	Mobile phone masts are subject to the normal planning regulations in place throughout England, unless exempted by the regulations set out in Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO) as amended by SI 2115/2003).